Hundreds of protesters swarm governor’s office chanting ‘free the dogs!’ in bid to save 2,000 beagles
Animal welfare activists descended on Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers’ Capitol office Monday chanting “Free the dogs!” in a bid to free 2,000 beagles.
The activists are demanding that the governor and attorney general do what they can to shut down a beagle breeding and research facility where the protesters clashed with police two days earlier.
An estimated 1,000 activists from around the country came to Ridglan Farms in rural Blue Mounds in an attempt Saturday to free an estimated 2,000 beagles kept there about 25 miles (about 40 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Madison.
They were met by police who repelled them with tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray. The Dane County Sheriff’s Department said 29 people were arrested.
More than 100 protesters were met outside of the Capitol hallway that leads to the offices of Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul by police officers who handed out constituent contact forms for Wisconsin residents to complete.
Evers and Kaul did not immediately return messages seeking comment. No one from their offices spoke directly to the protesters, some of whom carried pictures of Evers, Kaul and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin interacting with dogs.
Aidan Kankyoku, a co-leader of the Coalition to Save the Ridglan Dogs that organized the effort, said they were hoping that both Evers and Kaul would break their silence about the dog breeder. Kankyoku said activists also wanted Kaul to execute a search warrant on the facility to investigate allegations of ongoing animal cruelty.
“We just want the dogs out,” he said.
Ridglan has denied mistreating animals but agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on animal mistreatment charges. On its website it says “no credible evidence of animal abuse, cruelty, mistreatment or neglect at Ridglan Farms has ever been presented or substantiated.”
Ridglan says it has served as a biomedical research facility “that supports health studies benefitting both humans and animals” for more than 60 years. Nearly all of its current research is aimed at improving veterinary medicine, according to its website.
Ridglan said in a statement Monday that activists “have spread false and highly misleading claims about our research and our deep commitment to animal welfare, fueling dangerous levels of anger and hatred.” Ridglan said staff members have been threatened and followed as they leave the facility.
Ridglan said it hoped that those arrested Saturday are held “fully accountable.”
Many of those who were at the facility on Saturday returned to the Capitol on Monday to decry law enforcement’s reaction. Some of them showed off bruises they said were caused by rubber bullets.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett defended the actions of his officers, telling The Associated Press on Monday that their response was “appropriate and decisive” to the risk posed by between 300 and 400 protesters who attempted to break into the facility.
