Wisconsin authorities put total arrests from clashes at beagle breeding facility at about 25

Law enforcement in riot gear walk in a field after animal welfare activists attempted to gain entry to Ridglan Farms beagle breeding and research facility on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Blue Mounds, Wis. (Owen Ziliak/Wisconsin-state-journal" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="100785" data-entity-type="organization">Wisconsin State Journal via AP) 2026-04-19T21:33:21Z Madison, Wis. (AP) — Around 25 protesters were arrested as around 1,000 animal welfare activists tried to gain entry to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin and were met by officers firing pepper spray and rubber bullets , authorities said Sunday. Saturday’s protest was the second attempt in as many months by demonstrators to take beagles from Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison. They were turned back by officers who arrested the group’s leader. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office said the situation was “significantly calmer and more peaceful” on Sunday, when around 200 people assembled outside the farm. They dispersed after around two hours, it said. “We’re pleased with the group’s cooperation today, and their willingness to remain peaceful, while still sending their message of concern for the dogs at Ridglan Farms,” Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a statement. “We are happy to support anyone who wants to exercise the right to protest, as long as they do so lawfully.” The sheriff had said in a video statement Saturday that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property.” They tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some got through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin-state-journal" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="100785" data-entity-type="organization">Wisconsin State Journal reported . (