A Co Mayo bull facing slaughter for being gay has been saved by a Hollywood producer.
His owner said Benjy displayed sexual urges for male cattle and failed to inseminate any of the cows he was mixing with.
The bull was being fattened for slaughter after a vet declared his sexual orientation the reason he would not breed.
Benjy came to the attention of animal rights campaigners after The Connaught Telegraph newspaper reported this plight.
However, Simpsons co-creator and philanthropist Sam Simon has put up £5,000 (€6,250) to buy Benjy and transport him to a sanctuary in the UK where he will live out his natural life in peace.
The transfer is expected to take place before Christmas.
ARAN Campaign Director John Carmody said the campaign to raise funds had attracted huge international attention, with donations from across the world.
He said the charity and the farmer who owns the bull were completely taken aback by the reaction.
In addition to the £5,000, more than 250 other people donated to fund the bull's transfer via a crowd-funding initiative set up by animal-protection group ARAN and TheGayUK.com.
"PETA told me about Benjy, and I felt compelled to help," Mr Simon said.
"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."
"It thrills me to help PETA and ARAN make Benjy's fate a sanctuary rather than a sandwich."
