Animal Rights Protest Wisconsin

About 1,000 animal welfare protesters who tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin have been turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader. It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles southwest of the capital city of Madison. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, in a video statement, said between 300 and 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers on Saturday.

Authorities say around 25 protesters were arrested as about 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to enter a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin. The protest on Saturday was the second attempt in two months to take beagles from Ridglan Farms. Officers fired rubber bullets and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. The Dane County sheriff's office reported a calmer protest on Sunday with around 200 people. Protesters previously took 30 dogs in March. Ridglan denies mistreating animals but agreed to give up its state breeding license by July 1 to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges.