Police Deploy Rubber Bullets and Pepper Spray on Protesters at Wisconsin Beagle Research Facility

On April 18, 2026, a Saturday morning in rural Dane County, Wisconsin, more than 1,000 animal rights activists converged on Ridglan Farms — a beagle breeding and research facility in the town of Blue Mounds, about 25 miles southwest of Madison [1]. What followed was one of the largest police confrontations at an animal research facility in recent U.S. history: tear gas canisters fired into crowds, rubber bullets striking demonstrators, pepper spray deployed at close range, and the arrest of protest leader Wayne Hsiung on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary [2][3].

No beagles were removed from the facility. But the events of that day — and the decade-long conflict leading up to them — expose a collision between animal welfare activists willing to break the law, a research breeding industry under regulatory pressure, and law enforcement agencies navigating a politically charged use of force.

What Happened on April 18

The Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, an organization affiliated with the national animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), had publicly announced plans for a mass "open rescue" at Ridglan Farms on Sunday, April 19 [4]. Instead, organizers moved the operation up a day, launching Saturday morning after a planning meeting [2].

Protesters attempted to breach physical barriers that Ridglan Farms had erected since a previous incursion in March — including a manure-filled trench, hay bales, and barbed-wire fencing [1]. A vehicle drove through the facility's front gate, and activists tried to cut fencing and climb barriers [2]. Some protesters reached the fence perimeter but could not enter the buildings housing an estimated 2,000 beagles [1].

Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett stated in a video address that 300 to 400 protesters were "violently trying to break into the property" and assaulting officers [1]. According to Barrett, demonstrators had ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads, preventing emergency vehicles from accessing the area [2].

Law enforcement responded with what the sheriff's office described as a "tiered response": verbal warnings first, followed by tear gas, then pepper balls, then 40mm less-lethal rubber munitions for those who continued to advance [3]. Barrett characterized the police response as "appropriate and proportionate" and stated it concluded "without anyone being seriously injured" [3].

Activist accounts contradicted that assessment. Protester Liz Liguori reported: "My face is burning. My neck is burning. I got pepper sprayed...they put the tear gas nozzle in my face, in my nose" [2][3]. Another demonstrator, Sarah Westlund, said she was pepper sprayed while standing peacefully [3]. Multiple participants described being "kicked, beaten, pepper-sprayed, tear-gassed" [3].

The exact number of arrests remains unclear. The Dane County Sheriff's Office said "a significant number" were made but that the tally was "still being compiled" as of April 19 [3]. Hsiung was arrested within minutes of arriving at the scene [3]. From a jail cell, he stated: "Cordial conversations with Sheriff Kalvin Barrett convinced me that authorities would respond to our movement with reason. I was wrong" [3].

Crowd size estimates also varied. Authorities and Ridglan cited figures of 1,000 to 1,500 activists, while video analysis by the outlet Animals 24-7 suggested approximately 200 actual participants at the breach points [3].

The March Raid and Escalating Confrontation

The April action was the second attempt in as many months. On March 15, 2026, DxE activists broke into Ridglan Farms and removed 22 beagles from the facility [4][5]. Police intercepted two vans carrying additional dogs and arrested activists on the premises. Twenty-seven people were arrested on trespassing and related charges during that earlier raid [1].

On April 17, one day before the second confrontation, prosecutors referred charges against 62 individuals involved in the March operation. The charges included burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, possession of burglary tools, receiving stolen property, trespassing, and criminal damage to property [3].

Ridglan Farms: Six Decades of Breeding Beagles for Research

Ridglan Farms has operated since 1966 as one of the largest purpose-bred beagle suppliers for biomedical research in the United States [6][7]. The facility holds both a USDA Class A dog breeder license and a USDA Class R research facility license [7]. As of September 2024, the USDA reported approximately 2,300 dogs at the site [8].

The facility is owned by three veterinarians — David Williams, Jeffrey Ballmer, and Jim Burns (whose license has lapsed) — along with the estate of a fourth, Ralph McGrew [6]. Ridglan breeds beagles and sells puppies to pharmaceutical companies, universities, and government-funded research labs across the country for use in biomedical studies including drug toxicity testing, cardiovascular research, and regulatory safety evaluations [7][9].

Beagles are the preferred breed for laboratory research because of their docile temperament, uniform size, and well-characterized physiology, which makes experimental results more consistent and reproducible [10]. The FDA has historically required animal testing — often using dogs — before drugs can proceed to human clinical trials, though that mandate has been loosening [11].

311 State Violations vs. Clean Federal Inspections

The regulatory record at Ridglan Farms presents a striking split between state and federal oversight.

USDA inspectors visited Ridglan 15 times between 2014 and 2023, producing 28 inspection records. In 25 of those records, no violations were documented. The same USDA inspector was assigned to every Ridglan inspection for over a decade [12][13]. Violations were recorded during only three inspections: once in 2017 and twice in 2023 [12].

Wisconsin's Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), by contrast, identified 311 counts of animal mistreatment at Ridglan since 2022 [14]. The overwhelming majority — 308 counts — involved eye gland removal surgeries performed by untrained staff without anesthesia or post-operative pain management [14]. Ridglan's own veterinarian acknowledged that the facility had routinely engaged in what amounted to "veterinary malpractice," with procedures "performed by untrained individuals without the proper and required education" [14].

Source: Wisconsin DATCP

Data as of Dec 1, 2025CSV

Former employees also testified that the facility had performed devocalization procedures — surgically cutting vocal cords to reduce barking. Ridglan states these procedures ceased in 2018 [8]. State inspectors further found that beagles at the facility were "not receiving daily human positive contact and socialization" as required by state law, and documented dogs with untreated injuries including visible puncture wounds and limping [7].

DATCP proposed a $55,148 fine, which Ridglan refused to pay [15]. In late September 2025, the state Veterinary Licensing Board suspended the license of Ridglan's head veterinarian, Richard Van Domelen, who allegedly "allowed staff without the required licenses to perform surgical procedures, usually without anesthesia or pain mitigation" [8].

The Settlement: Breeding License Surrendered, Research Continues

In early 2026, Ridglan Farms reached a settlement with special prosecutor Tim Gruenke, the district attorney of La Crosse County. Under the agreement, Ridglan will surrender its breeding license — ending its ability to sell purpose-bred beagles to outside researchers — by July 1, 2026 [8]. In exchange, the special prosecutor declined to file criminal charges against the facility [8].

Critically, Ridglan will retain its USDA research license after July 1, meaning the facility can continue to use beagles for internal research purposes even after it stops selling dogs externally [7][8]. For activists like Hsiung, this provision made the settlement insufficient. The Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs framed its actions as an effort to physically remove the remaining dogs before the July deadline [4].

The Use of Force Question

The deployment of rubber bullets and tear gas against animal rights protesters at a private facility raised questions about proportionality that echo broader debates over police use of less-lethal weapons.

No specific dispersal order or statutory authority was publicly cited by the Dane County Sheriff's Office prior to deploying munitions [2]. Sheriff Barrett characterized the situation as an "active break-in" requiring immediate response [3].

A March 2026 CNN investigation found that federal agents across the country had routinely violated both federal and local use-of-force policies when deploying less-lethal weapons against protesters in other contexts [16]. Research following the 2020 George Floyd protests documented significant injuries from rubber bullets, which can cause bone fractures, organ damage, and in rare cases, death [17].

The scale of force at Ridglan stands out in the context of animal rights actions. While trespassing arrests at farms and laboratories are common — DxE alone has staged dozens of open rescues nationwide — the use of tear gas and rubber munitions against animal welfare demonstrators is unusual in the United States [3].

Wayne Hsiung and the Open Rescue Movement

Wayne Hsiung, an attorney and co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere, has spent roughly a decade organizing what he calls "open rescues" — publicly documented entries into farms and laboratories to remove animals the group says are suffering [18]. His legal record reflects the contested nature of this tactic.

In 2022, a Utah jury acquitted Hsiung of theft charges for removing two piglets from a Smithfield Foods facility in 2017 [18]. In 2023, however, a Sonoma County, California jury convicted him of felony conspiracy to trespass for incursions onto poultry farms. He was ordered to pay $191,704 in restitution [19]. He had earlier been convicted of larceny in North Carolina for removing an ill baby goat from a farm but received a suspended sentence and probation [18].

Hsiung has framed the Ridglan campaign as part of a broader national movement. DxE has also targeted laboratory animal suppliers at universities, including the University of Illinois, where it called for an end to animal research programs [20].

The Legal Landscape: AETA and Wisconsin Law

The federal Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) of 2006 criminalizes conduct intended to damage or interfere with the operations of an "animal enterprise," a category that includes research facilities [21]. The law has been used — sparingly — to prosecute activists who cause economic damage through trespass or property destruction. Critics, including the Center for Constitutional Rights, argue that the AETA criminalizes protected First Amendment activity including protests, boycotts, and whistleblowing [21][22].

Wisconsin does not have an "ag-gag" law, unlike Iowa, Missouri, Utah, and several other states that criminalized undercover investigations at agricultural facilities [22]. The charges filed against Ridglan protesters have instead relied on standard criminal statutes: burglary, trespassing, criminal damage to property, and conspiracy [3].

Whether federal AETA charges could be brought against Ridglan activists remains an open question. Historically, AETA prosecutions have been rare — fewer than a dozen cases have been brought since 2006 — and several have resulted in acquittals or dismissals [21].

The Case for Continued Animal Research

Researchers and pharmaceutical industry representatives argue that animal testing, including the use of dogs, remains necessary for certain types of drug development — particularly for studying cardiovascular toxicity, respiratory function, and long-term drug effects that cannot yet be replicated by alternative methods [10].

The FDA Modernization Act 2.0, signed into law in December 2022, removed the federal mandate requiring animal testing before human clinical trials, but it did not ban the practice [11]. Companies can still choose to use animal models, and many do, particularly for complex biologics and implantable medical devices where in vitro alternatives remain limited [23].

The FDA announced in 2025 a roadmap to phase out animal testing requirements for monoclonal antibodies and other drug classes by 2035, promoting New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) including organ-on-a-chip technology, AI-based computational toxicology models, and three-dimensional organoid testing [23]. A "human Liver-Chip" developed by Emulate Inc. demonstrated 87% accuracy in predicting human liver toxicity, compared to roughly 50% accuracy for traditional animal models [23].

Several major pharmaceutical companies have begun reducing their reliance on animal testing. But for regulatory submissions in many countries outside the United States, animal data remains either required or strongly preferred, creating a global compliance challenge for companies seeking to eliminate the practice entirely [23].

A Declining but Persistent Industry

The number of dogs used in U.S. research has been falling for years. USDA data shows a decline from approximately 61,000 dogs in 2016 to roughly 32,000 in 2024 — a 47% reduction over eight years [9].

Source: USDA APHIS Annual Reports

Data as of Jan 1, 2025CSV

Ridglan's planned exit from breeding marks the end of one of the last large-scale domestic beagle suppliers. The closure of Envigo's Cumberland, Virginia facility in 2022 — after USDA inspectors documented over 300 puppy deaths, untreated injuries, and gutters overflowing with feces — resulted in the rescue of approximately 4,000 beagles and a $35 million penalty against Envigo's corporate parent, the largest animal welfare settlement in U.S. history [24][25].

With Ridglan's breeding operation shutting down, researchers will increasingly rely on smaller breeders, overseas suppliers, or alternative models. The transition raises practical questions: if fewer purpose-bred beagles are available domestically, will research shift to other species, move offshore, or accelerate adoption of non-animal methods?

What Comes Next

The 62 individuals charged in connection with the March raid face potential felony convictions carrying significant prison time if convicted of burglary [3]. Hsiung, facing conspiracy charges from the April action on top of his existing legal exposure, has signaled that he intends to use the trials as a platform to argue the "necessity defense" — that the illegal act was justified by the greater harm of animal suffering [18].

Whether that defense succeeds in a Wisconsin courtroom is uncertain. Courts have generally rejected necessity arguments in animal rights cases, though Hsiung's 2022 Utah acquittal demonstrated that sympathetic juries can reach different conclusions [18].

Ridglan Farms, meanwhile, is scheduled to surrender its breeding license in less than three months. The approximately 2,000 beagles still housed at the facility present a logistical challenge: animal welfare groups have called for their release to rescue organizations, while Ridglan's retention of its research license means the facility could legally continue using some dogs for internal studies beyond July [7][8].

The confrontation in Blue Mounds has attracted national media attention and intensified a broader debate about the future of animal testing in the United States. But for the activists pepper-sprayed at the barricades and the dogs in the windowless warehouses behind them, the question is more immediate: what happens to 2,000 beagles in the next 73 days?