Joaquin Phoenix saves a mother cow and her calf from slaughterhouse after moving speech at Oscars

Joaquin Phoenix helped save a mother cow and her calf from the slaughterhouse the day after he drew light to the issue of farming industry practices during his acceptance speech at the Oscars after winning Best Actor honors for Joker.

In a clip posted Wednesday by Farm Sanctuary, the A-list actor and vegan advocate was with reps of the group Los Angeles Animal Save visiting the Pico Rivera, California slaughterhouse Manning Beef and chatting with its president and CEO, Anthony Di Maria.

The 45-year-old actor had a cordial discussion with Di Maria about industry practices, though the duo disagreed on if the term for the fate of the animals should be ‘harvested’ or ‘murdered.’

He was later seen carrying the baby calf into a transport trailer headed for a an animal preserve ran by the nonprofit organization Farm Sanctuary.

The Walk the Line actor named the mother Liberty and the calf Indigo.

Phoenix issued a statement via LA Animal Save commending Di Maria for releasing the mother and daughter cow.

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

‘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.’

Phoenix also acknowledged the animal advocates he worked with in the effort to liberate the cow and calf.

‘Although we will continue to fight for the liberation of all animals who suffer in these oppressive systems, we must take pause to acknowledge and celebrate the victories, and the people who helped achieve them,’ he said. ‘Shaun Monson, Amy Jean Davis, and the entire LA Animal Save community, have taken their pain of bearing witness and turned it into effective, diplomatic advocacy for the voiceless. As a result, Liberty and Indigo will never experience cruelty or the touch of a rough hand.’

In his Academy Awards acceptance speech, Phoenix said he was grateful to be able to be a voice for the voiceless.

‘I think whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice – against the belief that one nation, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control, and use and exploit another with impunity,’ he said.

Phoenix said ‘an egocentric worldview – the belief that we’re the center of the universe’ had led to the earth’s resources being plundered.

‘We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby,’ he said. ‘Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.’