MADISON, Wis. — Around 25 protesters were arrested as roughly 1,000 animal welfare activists gathered at Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin. Police responded with pepper spray and rubber bullets to control the crowd, which was attempting to gain entry to the facility.
The protest on Saturday marked the second attempt in two months by activists seeking to rescue beagles from the farm, which is located about 25 miles southwest of Madison. During the prior protest, law enforcement arrested the group leader and effectively turned back the demonstrators.
According to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, the situation was much calmer during the Sunday protest, which drew about 200 participants. Sheriff Kalvin Barrett praised the demonstrators for their cooperation, acknowledging their right to protest peacefully.
The sheriff’s remarks contrasted sharply with his video statement from Saturday, where he noted that 300 to 400 protesters were trying to breach barricades composed of manure-filled trenches and barbed wire.
Despite some protesters breaching the fence, they were unable to enter the facility, which houses an estimated 2,000 beagles. The Wisconsin State Journal reported the attempts to rescue the dogs have been part of ongoing conflicts regarding the treatment of animals at Ridglan Farms.
Among those arrested was Wayne Hsiung, the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, who faced a tentative felony charge for conspiracy to commit burglary. Many arrestees were processed quickly and released, but Hsiung, in a statement from jail, criticized the police response, arguing that no one should face violence for trying to rescue animals.
In previous protests, activists took 30 dogs from the facility in March, leading to the arrest of 27 individuals. Ridglan Farms has disputed allegations of animal mistreatment and announced its intention to surrender its state breeding license as part of a deal to avoid criminal charges.
On its official site, Ridglan Farms insists that no substantial evidence supporting claims of animal abuse has been presented.
