About 1,000 animal rights activists attempted to storm Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding and research facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, on Saturday but were turned back by police using rubber bullets, tear gas, and pepper spray. The clash marked the second major incursion at the site in little more than a month, with no dogs removed this time.

Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett described the event as anything but peaceful. In a video statement, he said 300 to 400 protesters were violently trying to break into the property, assaulting officers and blocking roads needed for emergency vehicles. Deputies, prepared for the publicly announced action, deployed less-lethal munitions after warnings via a long-range acoustic device. Authorities recovered burglary tools, including saws, fence cutters, and sledgehammers, from the crowd, along with tear gas canisters tossed over the fence.

One dramatic moment involved a pickup truck ramming the front gate around 10 a.m., nearly striking officers and bystanders; the driver was arrested. Organizers from the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs, led by Wayne Hsiung of Direct Action Everywhere, had planned a mass "open rescue" but advanced it a day from Sunday due to weather and police presence. Hsiung was arrested shortly after arriving on charges including conspiracy to commit burglary. At least a dozen arrests were reported, with numbers rising as processing continued; no serious injuries occurred.

Ridglan Farms houses an estimated 2,000 beagles, the second-largest such facility in the U.S. for biomedical research, breeding dogs for sale to labs and on-site veterinary studies. The company, federally licensed by the USDA and accredited by AAALAC International, has faced scrutiny. State inspectors cited 311 violations of the Wisconsin administrative code, including allegations of inhumane handling and procedures like removing eye glands and vocal cords without anesthesia. To avoid prosecution, Ridglan agreed last October to surrender its state breeding license by July 1, 2026, while continuing internal research. The facility denies abuse, stating that no credible evidence exists.

The March 15 raid saw dozens of activists breach the site and remove 23 to 30 dogs, now adopted out. Authorities are pursuing charges against 62 people from that incident. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., highlighted the violations in a recent hearing, urging federal funding cuts for beagle research.

As of Sunday afternoon, activists had shifted to protesting outside the Dane County Jail in Madison. Organizers claimed over 1,700 sign-ups for the action and discussed buying the dogs with $1 million from donors, though no deal was confirmed.