Sign the Petition

April 18, 2026 · Blue Mounds, Wisconsin

Police arrest dozens of rescuers, using tear gas and rubber bullets to thwart peaceful rescue of abused beagles at Ridglan Farms.

On Saturday, law enforcement personnel from multiple agencies used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse over 1,000 concerned citizens — teachers, doctors, nurses, students, families, Democrats, and Republicans — who came together out of concern for animal welfare.

The group demonstrated a shared commitment to non-violence during their attempt to rescue approximately 2,000 beagles from Ridglan Farms, a facility currently under intense scrutiny for documented animal cruelty.

Only a deeply corrupt system will use tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful rescuers saving dogs. We are seeing the worst in humanity today. But, in the courage of the rescuers, also the best.
— Wayne Hsiung, attorney, arrested April 18 at Ridglan Farms

Despite a state court judge finding probable cause for felony cruelty charges in January 2025, the government has declined to seize the beagles, leading everyday citizens to take direct action to prevent further abuse.

See what Wisconsin chose to spend instead

The Footage

What law enforcement did to peaceful rescuers.

Tear gas. Rubber bullets at close range. Pepper spray. Flashbang grenades. Officers and balaclava-clad private security. Unedited footage from April 18.

An activist is shot with a rubber bullet at close range during an attempted breach of the fence.
Police throw tear gas canisters into the crowd.
Police pepper spray and arrest activists.
Attorney Wayne Hsiung is arrested on public property.
Wisconsin State Patrol enters the farm.
An activist describes being pepper sprayed under their glasses.
Activists cough through prolonged tear gas exposure.
Police knock activists to the ground.
Tear gas reaches activists positioned at the hay bale barricade.
Police deploy tear gas against activists.
A sheriff's deputy pins an activist to the ground.
An activist is shoved after stating he is entering peacefully.
Activists work to clear hay bales placed as a barricade.
Standoff at the Ridglan fence line.
Camera pans from a peace sign to incoming tear gas.
Activists administer eye drops to a comrade who was pepper sprayed.
Activists provide aid to a tear gas victim.
A close-up of police equipment and less-lethal weapons.
Attempted breach of the fence — second angle.

The Scene

Hundreds of officers. Multiple agencies. Private security in balaclavas.

Wisconsin met unarmed civilians with riot police, military-grade munitions, and a perimeter that protected a facility a state court judge already ruled showed probable cause for felony animal cruelty.

Riot police lined up in front of Ridglan Farms.
Riot police lined up in front of Ridglan Farms.
Tear gas drifts across the field.
Tear gas drifts across the field.
A sheriff on top of an activist.
A sheriff on top of an activist.
Attorney Wayne Hsiung arrested at Ridglan Farms.
Attorney Wayne Hsiung arrested at Ridglan Farms.
Riot police staged in the driveway.
Riot police staged in the driveway.
Riot police on the perimeter.
Riot police on the perimeter.
An officer carrying a less-lethal weapon.
An officer carrying a less-lethal weapon.
Activists hold signs in front of a police vehicle.
Activists hold signs in front of a police vehicle.
Demonstrators with signs at the police line.
Demonstrators with signs at the police line.
An activist observes police beyond the fence.
An activist observes police beyond the fence.
A medic provides aid to an injured rescuer.
A medic provides aid to an injured rescuer.
Riot police.
Riot police.

Eyewitness Testimony

First-person accounts are being collected.

Rescuers reported broken noses, teeth knocked out, pepper spray sprayed directly into their eyes under their glasses, rubber bullet wounds at close range, flashbang grenade concussions, and being struck by ATVs. We are gathering and verifying first-person testimony before publishing it here.

Voices

Public officials, scientists, and legal scholars are speaking out.

“It truly saddens me that I am the only voice standing here... I am so sorry. This should have never happened.”
Dane County Supervisor Rick Rose
Member, committee overseeing the Dane County Sheriff's Office

Supervisor Rose, who represents over 15,000 constituents, also stated that the official narrative provided by the Sheriff is not always the truth, and issued an apology to the rescuers.

U.S. Representative Mark Pocan
Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District (which includes Ridglan Farms)

Rep. Pocan has elevated the crisis to the federal level, challenging the government to explain why it continues to support a facility in his own district with hundreds of health violations that very seriously harm the dogs in its care.

Dr. Jane Goodall & 110+ animal shelters
Open letter signatories

Dr. Goodall, alongside more than 110 vetted animal shelters, has signed an open letter demanding the Ridglan beagles be moved to loving homes.

Dr. Patricia McConnell
Renowned animal behaviorist

Dr. McConnell has called the conditions inside Ridglan Farms immoral.

Harvard Law School scholars
Legal scholars on the right to rescue

Legal scholars from Harvard Law School have publicly supported the right to rescue animals in imminent danger.

Why this is happening

Our goal is simple: to ensure these beagles finally touch grass, feel the sun, and know a kind hand for the first time in their lives. We have the homes; they just need their freedom.
— Hallie Kolsen, animal rights advocate

Over 110 vetted shelters and hundreds of foster homes are standing by, ready to transform 2,000 research subjects into beloved family dogs.

Demand justice.

We are calling on Wisconsin authorities to:

  1. 1.Seize all 2,000 beagles, per the January 2025 ruling that found probable cause for felony cruelty.
  2. 2.Drop all charges against the rescuers.
  3. 3.Account publicly for the use of force on April 18.
Sign the petition →

Photographs by Yash Mangalick (ymangalick.com) and additional contributors.