Wisconsin Beagle Facility Protest Leads To About 25 Arrests, Including Organizer
About 25 people were arrested after hundreds of activists tried to breach Ridglan Farms, a beagle-breeding facility near Madison, Wisconsin, on Saturday. Dane County deputies say they used tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and other less-lethal tools to repel the crowd and seize alleged burglary tools. Organizers said the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs had planned a Sunday seizure but moved the operation up to Saturday. Leader Wayne Hsiung was arrested within minutes of arriving and is being held on a tentative felony conspiracy-to-commit-burglary charge, while most others were booked and released.
Authorities estimated about 1,000 people gathered, with sheriff Kalvin Barrett saying roughly 300 to 400 were violently trying to break in and assault officers. Deputies said they warned demonstrators with loudspeaker systems before enforcing a pre-planned tiered response. Officers described defensive measures at the farm including a manure trench, hay bales and barbed wire, and some protesters briefly breached fencing but did not reach buildings housing about 2,000 beagles. After the failed entry attempt, activists moved to protest outside the Dane County jail and some social media posts and videos showed frustrated organizers and supporters. A protester quoted on a social post said she felt "defeated" after no dogs were seized.
Coverage changed over the weekend as initial reports emphasized violent clashes and large-scale attempts to storm the facility. Fox and early local posts highlighted deputies' use of tear gas and rubber bullets, the seizure of saws and sledgehammers, and an organizer arrested almost immediately. By Sunday ABC clarified the total arrests were about 25 and reported a much calmer return protest of roughly 200 people that dispersed after about two hours. The newer reporting narrowed the scope of arrests and added context about prior March actions, Ridglan Farms' license surrender and protesters' stated goals, giving readers a clearer picture than early, chaotic accounts.
đ Key Facts
- Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said roughly 1,000 activists gathered Saturday after organizers moved the planned protest up a day; the sheriff now puts total arrests from the Ridglan Farms protest at about 25, with most people booked and released.
- Organizer Wayne Hsiung was arrested within minutes of arriving and is being held in the Dane County jail on probable cause of (a tentative) felony conspiracy to commit burglary.
- Sheriff Barrett described a pre-planned, tiered law-enforcement response that included LRAD warnings, tear gas, pepper spray/pepper balls and rubber bullets; he said 300â400 people were "violently trying to break into the property," called the response appropriate and proportionate, and said the protest was not peaceful from the start.
- Authorities reported activists attempted to breach fencing and other barriers, and said deputies seized alleged burglary tools (saws, fence cutters and sledgehammers); some protesters breached the outer fence but did not reach buildings housing an estimated 2,000 beagles.
- Ridglan Farms used defensive measures such as a manure-filled trench, hay bales and barbed wire around the property; the farm denies "credible evidence" of abuse but agreed in October to surrender its state breeding license effective July 1 to avoid prosecution.
- After the attempted entry at Ridglan Farms, activists moved to protest outside the Dane County Jail in downtown Madison; Sheriff Barrett said about 200 people returned Sunday for a significantly calmer protest that dispersed after roughly two hours.
- This was the second such attempt in as many months: in March protesters removed about 30 dogs and 27 people were arrested during that earlier action.
- Sheriff's office said a person "recklessly" drove a pickup truck through the front gate during the Saturday confrontation and was arrested, an action the sheriff said prevented a potentially deadly outcome.
- Political scrutiny has followed the events: Rep. Mark Pocan pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about whether NIH-funded projects are sourcing beagles from Ridglan Farms; Kennedy said he would "look into this" and asserted his administration had "ended most" animal testing.
đ° Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Dane County sheriff now puts total arrests from Saturday's Ridglan Farms protest at about 25, clarifying earlier estimates.
- Authorities say roughly 1,000 activists tried to gain entry Saturday, with officers using pepper spray and rubber bullets to repel them.
- Sheriff Kalvin Barrett reported Sunday that about 200 people returned for a significantly calmer, peaceful protest that dispersed after roughly two hours.
- Most of those arrested Saturday were booked and released; leader Wayne Hsiung is held on a tentative felony conspiracy to commit burglary charge.
- Authorities confirmed this was the second attempt in as many months, after protesters previously took 30 dogs and 27 people were arrested in March.
- Ridglan Farms reiterated in background that it denies abuse but agreed in October to surrender its state breeding license as of July 1 to avoid prosecution.
- Confirms crowd size of about 1,000 protesters, with Sheriff Kalvin Barrett saying 300 to 400 were 'violently trying to break into the property' and assault officers.
- Details the facility's defensive measures, including a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence that protesters attempted to overcome.
- Reports that some protesters breached the fence but did not reach the buildings housing an estimated 2,000 beagles.
- Adds that activists moved from the Ridglan Farms site to protest outside the Dane County jail in downtown Madison after the attempted entry.
- Notes sheriff's statement that a person 'recklessly' drove a pickup truck through the front gate and was arrested, 'preventing a potentially deadly outcome.'
- Recaps that the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs had publicly announced plans to seize the dogs Sunday but launched the operation a day early.
- Provides direct activist reaction, quoting protester Julie Vrzeski saying she felt 'defeated' after no dogs were seized.
- Adds that Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges, while asserting on its website that 'no credible evidence' of abuse has been substantiated.
- Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said deputies used tear gas, pepper balls and rubber bullets under a pre-planned tiered response to keep order.
- Sheriff Barrett publicly declared that 'it was clear from the beginning that this was not going to be a peaceful protest' and called the response 'appropriate and proportionate.'
- Organizer Wayne Hsiung was arrested within minutes of arriving on probable cause for conspiracy to commit burglary and is being held in Dane County Jail.
- Deputies reported hundreds of activists attempting to breach fencing and barriers and block nearby roads after LRAD warnings not to cross onto marked private property.
- The sheriff's office says it seized burglary tools including saws, fence cutters and sledgehammers from activists at the scene.
- Roughly 1,000 activists gathered after organizers moved up a previously planned Sunday protest to Saturday, according to authorities.
- Rep. Mark Pocan publicly pressed HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about NIH-funded projects using beagles from Ridglan Farms, citing 'hundreds of code violations' at the facility.
- Kennedy told Pocan he found it hard to believe NIH was still sourcing from Ridglan, said he would 'look into this,' and claimed his administration had 'ended most' animal testing.