LAST WEEK, THE world learned about Benjy the gay bull in Mayo. He was facing the slaughterhouse, because he was more interested in other bulls than heifers.

A #SaveBenjy hashtag sprang up on Twitter.

And a crowdfunding campaign was started by several organisations, hoping to raise €5,000 to take Benjy off the farm and look after him.

ARAN ARAN

This week the campaign organised by The Gay UK, ARAN and the Hillside Animal Sanctuary was still roughly £1,000 short of its target.

Until Hollywood producer Sam Simon, the co-creator of The Simpsons, heard of Benjy’s plight and came to the rescue.

According to a statement from ARAN:

Hollywood producer and philanthropist Sam Simon has stepped in to pay the initial £5,000 needed to save Benjy the bull destined for slaughter, all because of his reported sexual preference for other male bulls.

Sam Simon co-developed The Simpsons with Matt Groening and James L Brooks, and co-wrote several episodes before leaving the show in 1993. He’s since won nine Primetime Emmy Awards.

Sam Simon Frazier Moore / AP/Press Association Images Frazier Moore / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

ARAN spokesperson John Carmody said:

The response from around the worldwide has being so very encouraging, but to now hear that Sam Simon, co-creator of the world’s most popular animated sitcom is stepping in, is just icing on the already well baked cake. What could be better than to present Benjy with a Christmas gift that will literally last a lifetime?

Simon was diagnosed with terminal colorectal cancer in 2012 and has since pledged most of his fortune to charity, including several causes dedicated to animal welfare.

ARAN said they would be “inviting the Irish press” to meet Benjy on the last leg of his trip to safety in the UK.

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