Blue Mounds, Wisconsin – Dozens of animal rights protesters stormed Ridglan Farms on March 15, 2026, cutting fences and prying open doors to free beagles bred for biomedical research. The facility, long a flashpoint for welfare concerns, saw 27 individuals taken into custody after authorities recovered most of the 20-plus dogs removed during the raid.[1][2] Law enforcement described the action as unlawful entry, while participants framed it as a necessary rescue from alleged abuse.
A Coordinated Raid Shakes Rural Dane County
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More than 50 activists converged on the remote property early that Sunday morning, equipped with tools to breach security. Video evidence captured the group navigating locked areas and carrying out beagles in carriers. Dane County Sheriff’s deputies arrived swiftly, arresting 27 who refused to leave, including out-of-state participants from California and New York.[1][3]
Sheriff Kalvin Barrett later emphasized the balance between passion and law. “The Dane County Sheriff’s Office understands how deeply people feel for the beagles at Ridglan Farms, and we respect their right to express that passion through peaceful protests,” he stated. Two vehicles and burglary tools were seized as evidence, with the investigation ongoing.[1]
Prominent Faces Among the Arrested
Wayne Hsiung, a 44-year-old animal rights attorney, led the effort and spoke defiantly upon release. “They’re surgically mutilating dogs down there, confining dogs to two-foot by four-foot cages for life, driving them to psychosis,” he claimed, asserting a legal right to intervene under Wisconsin law.[2] Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul, 62, joined from Oregon, marking another chapter in her activism after a 2021 acquittal on similar chicken rescue charges.[4]…