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Joaquin Phoenix rescued a cow two days after his Oscar win

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Joaquin Phoenix attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Joaquin Phoenix attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Joaquin Phoenix put his Oscar words into action just two days after his Academy Award win, rescuing a mother cow and her calf from a slaughterhouse in Los Angeles.

After picking up the Best Actor gong at the ceremony, Phoenix delivered a powerful speech, during which he issued a warning to the world about “plundering” our natural resources.

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Phoenix remarked, “I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. Many of us are guilty of an egocentric world view, and we believe that we’re the centre of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources.”

Joaquin Phoenix wins the Oscar for Best Actor in "Joker" at the 92nd Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Joaquin Phoenix wins the Oscar for Best Actor in "Joker" at the 92nd Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 9, 2020. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

“We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakeable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”

Farm Sanctuary have now released a short eight minute long film that depicts Phoenix liberating a cow and her newborn calf before bringing them to the shelter, which is based in Southern California. You can watch the piece below.

Phoenix did more than rescuing the animals as he also named them Liberty and Indigo. Soon after, the actor released a statement, via the Guardian, that reflected on his efforts:

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“I never thought I’d find friendship in a slaughterhouse, but meeting Anthony and opening my heart to his, I realise we might have more in common than we do differences. Without his act of kindness, Liberty and her baby calf, Indigo, would have met a terrible demise.”

“Liberty and Indigo will never experience cruelty or the touch of a rough hand. My hope is, as we watch baby Indigo grow up with her mom Liberty at Farm Sanctuary, that we’ll always remember that friendships can emerge in the most unexpected places; and no matter our differences, kindness and compassion should rule everything around us.”