Protests Intensify Against Wisconsin Beagle Breeding Facility

Sun Apr 19 2026 16:16:09 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Approximately 1,000 animal welfare activists clashed with law enforcement at Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin while trying to rescue beagles on Saturday, leading to arrests and injuries.

On Saturday, a large group of approximately 1,000 activists attempted to storm the Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding and research facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Authorities used rubber bullets and pepper spray to disperse the crowd, resulting in multiple arrests, including the group’s leader. This protest was the second in recent months aiming to rescue beagles from conditions protesters claim are inhumane. Local law enforcement condemned the protest as violent and stated certain demonstrators attempted to breach significant security measures around the facility, which houses around 2,000 beagles.

BLUE MOUNDS, Wis. (RTWNews) — A tense showdown unfolded on Saturday as about 1,000 animal welfare advocates attempted to breach the Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin. Law enforcement responded to the escalating situation with rubber bullets and pepper spray, leading to the arrest of several individuals, including the group's leader, Wayne Hsiung.

The protests, characterized by the Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett as 'not peaceful,' marked the second such event in two months aimed at securing the release of beagles from the facility, located about 25 miles southwest of Madison.

In a video statement, Sheriff Barrett indicated that a subset of the activists was aggressively pushing against barricades and ignoring designated protest areas intended for peaceful demonstrations. “This is not a peaceful protest,” he asserted, emphasizing the violence displayed.

Authorities reported a significant number of arrests from the protest, although no specific figure was provided as processing was ongoing into the afternoon. Protesters managed to breach specific security measures at the facility, including hay bales and barbed wire, as they sought to free dogs believed to be in distress.

Activist Julie Vrzeski expressed frustration, stating, “I just feel defeated,” after multiple hours without a successful rescue of any dogs.

Following the failed attempt at the Ridglan facility, many protesters regrouped to demonstrate outside the local jail in Madison, further escalating tensions in the community.

Ridglan Farms, which houses an estimated 2,000 beagles, has come under scrutiny for alleged animal rights violations. While the facility's representatives deny any form of mistreatment, they did agree in an October settlement to relinquish their state breeding license by July 2024 to avoid prosecution.

Despite previous protests that culminated in the removal of 30 dogs from the premises, the ongoing debates regarding animal rights and the treatment of breeding facilities continue to spark division among activists, law enforcement, and the community.