MADISON, Wis. — More than 100 animal rights advocates gathered at Wisconsin’s state Capitol on Monday, shouting demands to “Free the dogs!” as they pressed Governor Tony Evers and the attorney general to close down a beagle breeding operation that sparked violent clashes with law enforcement over the weekend.
Approximately 1,000 demonstrators from across the nation descended on Ridglan Farms in the rural community of Blue Mounds on Saturday, attempting to liberate roughly 2,000 beagles housed at the facility located about 25 miles southwest of Madison. Law enforcement officers responded with tear gas, non-lethal projectiles and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. According to the Dane County Sheriff’s Department, authorities took 29 individuals into custody.
Several activists who participated in Saturday’s confrontation returned to the state Capitol on Monday to criticize how police handled the situation. Some displayed injuries they claimed resulted from being struck by rubber bullets.
Police officers stationed outside the hallway leading to the offices of Governor Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul distributed constituent contact forms to Wisconsin residents among the crowd of more than 100 demonstrators.
Neither Evers nor Kaul responded to requests for comment immediately. Officials from their offices did not address the protesters directly, though some activists held photographs showing Evers, Kaul and U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin with dogs.
Aidan Kankyoku, who helps lead the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs that coordinated the campaign, said organizers hoped both officials would end their silence regarding the breeding operation. Kankyoku explained that activists also wanted Kaul to obtain and execute a search warrant at the location to examine claims of continuing animal abuse.
“We just want the dogs out,” he said.
While Ridglan has rejected accusations of animal mistreatment, the company agreed in October to surrender its state breeding permit by July 1 under an agreement that avoided criminal prosecution for animal abuse allegations. The facility’s website states that “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
According to Ridglan, the company has operated as a biomedical research center “that supports health studies benefitting both humans and animals” for over six decades. The facility’s website indicates that almost all current research focuses on advancing veterinary medicine.
Ridglan officials did not respond to email requests for comment on Monday.
Demonstrators maintained they were conducting a peaceful rescue operation on Saturday when officers forced them back.
In March, activists broke into the facility and removed 30 dogs. Twenty-seven people faced arrest on trespassing and additional charges.
Democratic U.S. Representative Mark Pocan posted on social media Monday, urging state leaders to collaborate with Ridglan on a release strategy that wouldn’t overwhelm animal placement organizations and would prevent the beagles from being put down. Last week, Pocan questioned U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. during a House Appropriations Committee session about federal funding directed to groups that obtain beagles from Ridglan Farms.
Kennedy responded that he found Pocan’s statements difficult to believe but promised to investigate the matter.
