Protesters Attempt to Breach Wisconsin Beagle Facility, Police Respond With Force and Arrests
About 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to break into a beagle research facility in rural Wisconsin on Saturday — and were met with rubber bullets and pepper spray.
The confrontation at Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles southwest of Madison, marked the second attempt in two months by activists to remove dogs from the property, which houses an estimated 2,000 beagles.
What Happened Saturday
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement, per the AP, that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” He accused demonstrators of assaulting officers, ignoring designated protest areas and blocking roads for emergency vehicles.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
Law enforcement fired rubber bullets and deployed pepper spray against the crowd. A “significant” number of arrests were made out of the approximately 1,000 protesters, though the exact total was not confirmed.
Among those arrested was Wayne Hsiung, the leader of the group behind the effort, the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs. Hsiung posted an image from his X account related to the arrest. Another individual was arrested after “recklessly” driving a pickup truck through the front gate — an act authorities said they stopped, “preventing a potentially deadly outcome.”
Barricades, Breached Fences and No Beagles Freed
Activists encountered formidable barriers: a manure-filled trench, hay bales and barbed-wire fencing. Some protesters managed to breach the fence but did not reach the facility’s interior. No dogs were removed during the attempt.
Julie Vrzeski, an activist who spoke to the Wisconsin State Journal, summed up the mood afterward.
“I just feel defeated,” she said.
Activists later protested outside a jail in downtown Madison.
Sunday Brought a Different Scene
The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, the office said.
“We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”
The Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs had announced plans to seize dogs on Sunday but launched the operation Saturday instead.
In March, protesters entered the facility, removed 30 dogs and 27 people were arrested on trespassing and other charges.
What Ridglan Farms says
Ridglan Farms denies animal mistreatment. A statement on its website reads: “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
However, the facility reached an agreement in October to surrender its state breeding license effective July 1 to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.
The gap between those two facts — a firm denial and a license surrender to avoid prosecution — sits at the heart of why activists keep returning to Blue Mounds, and why this story is far from over.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
