Activists from the group Direct Action Everywhere, pictured in March rescuing beagles from a laboratory at Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, were pepper-sprayed and arrested on Saturday when trying to free more beagles from the lab. Photo by Direct Action Everywhere/Instagram
About two dozen animal activists were arrested, while more were pepper-sprayed as they attempted to free 2,000 beagles from a Wisconsin facility licensed to breed them for biomedical testing Saturday.
USA Today cited Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett as saying between 300 and 400 protesters were “violently trying to break in” to Ridglan Farms in Blue Mountain in an attempt to remove the dogs.
Barrett said they also blocked emergency services on the road outside in the process.
A Ridglan representative said one motorist was arrested for driving a pickup truck through a fence, nearly running over security, police and bystanders.
This weekend’s action had been planned for weeks so law enforcement and the facility were prepared.
The New York Times said a total of about 1,000 activists participated in what it categorized as a “failed raid,” which ended when law-enforcement and private security personnel fired rubber bullets and tear gas at them.
Activists said 26 people were arrested and the sheriff’s office said no dogs were taken.
A group organized under the Direct Action Everywhere banner previously broke into the facility in March and took 22 beagles, which were later adopted.
An appointed special prosecutor accused the facility of abusing animals last year.
The company denied any wrongdoing, but agreed to surrender its breeding license by July 1 to avoid prosecution.
