Simpsons' Co-Creator Saves Ireland's Gay Bull

He faced execution for failure to perform. But Benjy, the gay bull of Ireland, has been saved following a worldwide appeal backed by The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon. Ireland's Animal Rights Action Network says Simon is helping pay for Benjy's transportation to an animal sanctuary in England. Simon, who is battling colon cancer, has been giving away much of his fortune and is a leading donor to animal welfare causes. Benjy, a Charolais bull, failed this year to impregnate any heifers at a County Mayo farm. Veterinarians determined he was fertile, but was more attracted to the bull that replaced him.

After the farmer announced he planned to send Benjy to the slaughterhouse, activists launched a social media campaign to save him. About 300 donors contributed $6,200 to a drive organized by the British online magazine TheGayUK, and Simon chipped in nearly $8,000, reports the Daily Mail. Simon says he heard about Benjy's case through friends at PETA. "All animals have a dire destiny in the meat trade, but to kill this bull because he's gay would've been a double tragedy," he says in a statement, adding that it's a thrill to "make Benjy's fate a sanctuary rather than a sandwich." (More Sam Simon stories.)