Wisconsin Police Fire Tear Gas And Rubber Bullets As Activists Storm Ridglan Farms

Hundreds of animal rights activists tried to storm Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding and biomedical research facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, in an effort to take dogs from the property.

The New York Times described “Advertisement Supported by Some 1,000 protesters” attempting to breach the facility, with police and private security guards firing tear gas and rubber bullets to keep them from entering Ridglan Farms.

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The Guardian similarly said “about 1,000 animal rights activists” were rebuffed with “rubber bullets and pepper spray” by law enforcement as they sought to breach the property.

The Los Angeles Times reported that “about 1,000 animal welfare activists” tried to gain entry to the beagle breeding and research facility and were met by officers firing “pepper spray and rubber bullets.”

The protests were part of a planned action that had been “planned for weeks,” according to The New York Times, and the raid was framed by activists as a mass beagle rescue.

The Guardian said the group’s leader Wayne Hsiung posted a picture of him being arrested on the X account of the group’s leader.

In the aftermath, the Los Angeles Times said Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from the clashes at “about 25,” while the New York Times said activists were thwarted and that “at least 26 people were arrested.”

The attempted rescue unfolded against a longer dispute over Ridglan Farms’ breeding and research practices, with multiple sources describing prior actions and a legal timeline.

The Los Angeles Times said the raid marked the “second attempt in two months” and that Ridglan Farms agreed to surrender its breeding license by “July 1, 2026.”

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The Democracy Now! account said Ridglan Farms “agreed last fall to surrender its state breeding license and stop selling dogs to other laboratories by July 1” as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.

Democracy Now! also said “A state judge found Ridglan Farms likely broke Wisconsin animal cruelty laws” by housing beagles in “brutal conditions,” performing surgeries “without anesthesia,” and leaving wounds untreated.

The Wisconsin Examiner and VernonReporter both described escalating tensions after a prior attempted rescue in March, when activists took beagles and some were returned by police.

The Guardian said that in a March raid activists removed “13 dogs” from the facility, and it added that the Dane county sheriff’s office referred charges for burglary and trespassing against “62 people” related to that incident.

The New York Times said activists “successfully broke into Ridglan Farms on March 15 and took 22 beagles,” which were “subsequently adopted,” while also noting that no dogs were taken during the Saturday attempt.

Accounts of the confrontation featured sharply different characterizations of what happened, with law enforcement officials describing violence and protesters describing brutality.

The Guardian quoted Dane county sheriff Kalvin Barrett saying in a video statement that 300-400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers, and it added that protesters “blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.”

Barrett also said, “This is not a peaceful protest,” according to The Guardian.

The Los Angeles Times included a statement from Sheriff Kalvin Barrett saying, “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,” and it quoted him saying, “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.”

Protesters and activists described the police response as overwhelming and injurious; Democracy Now! said the crackdown left “scores of activists injured” and quoted Rebekah Robinson saying, “And what we were met with was overwhelming police brutality.”

The New York Times said officers and guards fired tear gas and rubber bullets on the “estimated 1,000 protesters,” and it reported that Elise Schaffer, a spokeswoman for the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, said officers recovered tools that could have been used to break into the building.

In a call from jail, the Wisconsin Examiner quoted Hsiung saying, “only a deeply corrupt system will use tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful activists saving dogs,” and it added, “We are seeing the worst in humanity today.”

The sources diverged not only on casualty-like impacts and arrest totals, but also on how many beagles were at issue and what the activists managed to do.

The Guardian said protesters were unable to get into the facility where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, and it described the scene as chaotic with rubber bullets and pepper spray.

Democracy Now!

Democracy Now! also said activists attempted to rescue about 2,000 dogs from the facility and that the crackdown left “scores of activists injured,” while it put arrests at “25 people.”

The Los Angeles Times said about 25 protesters were arrested and that the Sunday gathering involved about 200 people assembled peacefully before dispersing.

The New York Times said the raid attempt was thwarted and that “no dogs were taken,” while it also reported that activists had previously taken beagles on March 15.

The Guardian said the March raid removed “13 dogs,” while the New York Times said March 15 activists took “22 beagles,” and it added those were subsequently adopted.

The VernonReporter account added that Nicholas Dickman “lost multiple teeth” after officers beat him, and it said the coalition prepared a press release describing the incident.

After the Saturday clashes, authorities and activists described continuing legal and political steps, with the dispute centered on Ridglan Farms’ status and the state’s role.

The news8000 report said protesters urged Governor Tony Evers to intervene at the state Capitol, gathering outside his office until about “3:30 p.m.” waiting for confirmation he would meet with them to discuss freeing the beagles from Ridglan Farms.

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news8000 quoted Aiden Kankyoku of the Coalition to save the Ridglan Dogs saying, “Attorney General Kaul could serve a search warrant on Ridglan at any time,” and it added that he said conditions inside Ridglan had been found by a judge to constitute “at least probable cause for criminal animal cruelty, if not definite felony criminal animal cruelty.”

The report also said the state of Wisconsin filed a charge Monday related to constructing or altering a manure storage facility without a permit.

The Los Angeles Times said the leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, Wayne Hsiung, 44, of New York, was being held on a tentative felony charge of conspiracy to commit burglary, and it quoted him from jail saying, “No one should be assaulted for giving aid to a dog, even if damage to property is part of that rescue effort.”

It also said most arrestees were “just booked and released,” and that protesters took “30 dogs” in March.

Looking ahead, the Los Angeles Times and Democracy Now! both tied the dispute to the “July 1” deadline for Ridglan Farms to surrender its breeding license, while the Guardian and Wisconsin Examiner described ongoing referrals and charges tied to the earlier March incident.