About 1,000 animal welfare activists converged on a beagle breeding and research facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, only to be turned away by police using pepper spray and rubber bullets. The tense standoff at the Ridglan Farms facility, located about 25 miles southwest of Madison, marked the second major attempt by protesters in as many months to access the site and remove the animals held within.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett stated, “This is not a peaceful protest.” He said that between 300 and 400 of the protesters were actively and violently trying to break into the property while assaulting officers on the scene. According to the sheriff’s department, protesters ignored designated areas for peaceful assembly and blocked critical roads, which prevented emergency vehicles from reaching the site.
