Dozens facing charges for allegedly stealing beagles from a Wisconsin research facility

Several dozen animal rights activists are facing felony charges after investigators said they broke into a Wisconsin research facility. While inside, they allegedly stole more than 20 beagles as part of an operation they referred to as an open rescue.

What’s the background of the case? Blue Mounds, Wisconsin-based Ridglan Farms has been in operation for 60 years and breeds beagles for biomedical research, according to its website. Over the past several months, it has been the target of various activist groups that have tried to steal the dogs from the farm. 

According to a criminal complaint filed on July 3, 47 animal rights activists have been charged in connection with the theft of 22 beagles from the facility on March 15. Some of the charges include burglary, property damage, and theft. Some of the activists are facing multiple counts. They are currently scheduled to appear in court in August.

What happened? Investigators say that on March 15, at least 50 people were driven—some in vans—to Ridglan Farms, wearing all-black outfits or white lab jumpsuits. They allegedly used hammers, crowbars, and other tools to break into the property, cutting through locks and fencing and breaking at least one window. Several of them livestreamed the raid on Facebook, according to court documents.

The heist was well-planned, according to the complaint. It was advertised on many social media platforms beforehand, with Wayne Hsiung identified as the movement’s leader. Hsiung is accused of recruiting activists from all over the United States and from Canada to take part in what he characterized as an open rescue. Participants were given an action guide detailing what to do and what legal actions they risked, a travel guide detailing hotels and carpooling options, and a training session. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said the activists blocked roads and even used drones during the heist.

During the alleged heist, Hsiung allegedly approached a Village of Mount Horeb police officer and told him that he had a judicial order to release the dogs. The officer said he warned Hsiung that the people were engaging in burglary and theft and that Hsiung should advise them to stop. Hsiung allegedly refused, claiming that they had a legal right to take the dogs. Investigators said there was no such order, and Hsiung was arrested.

A little more than a month later, investigators said a group of over 1,000 activists attempted to storm the facilities in another raid the activists characterized as a rescue mission. Police stopped them using pepper spray and rubber bullets. These activists were not included in the July 3 complaint, although Ridglan Farms blamed Hsiung in a statement released on April 20.

The raids were carried out after activists accused Ridglan Farms of engaging in animal cruelty. The criticisms began after a special prosecutor found that Ridglan had been performing procedures that constituted animal mistreatment. Ridglan announced that it would be closing its breeding facilities following the investigation, but activists countered that farm staff would still have been able to experiment on the roughly remaining 2,500 dogs.

What is going to happen to the dogs? After the alleged break-ins, Ridglan agreed to sell its remaining dogs and close down. The facility is currently scheduled to close in August. Rescue groups around the country have purchased beagles from the farm, including Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which has agreed to purchase the remaining dogs.