‘You do have moments that define the progress of a cause’
By Leighton Woodhouse, Real Clear Wire
BLUE MOUNDS, Wisc. – Ridglan Farms, a breeder of beagles for scientific experiments, has withstood attacks from the animal rights movement for years. Activists have broken into its buildings to document the conditions inside them, rescued some dogs, and pushed Wisconsin authorities to cite the company for animal abuse.
On April 30, Ridglan finally buckled to the public pressure, handing the movement against animal testing one of its biggest triumphs. Big Dog Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy announced that the groups reached an agreement to purchase 1,500 beagles for an undisclosed amount of money. The dogs are being adopted out to families across the country; the remaining 500 may also be freed at a later date.
The hard-won concession was made possible by an unlikely and uncoordinated alliance of advocates from the left and right. While left-leaning animal rights groups like Direct Action Everywhere have carried out past break-in efforts to rescue the dogs, MAGA luminaries Laura Loomer and Lara Trump – President Trump’s daughter-in-law and a board member of Big Dog Rescue – waged a highly visible pressure campaign on the company and the animal testing industry. At a time when partisan divisions continue to widen in the nation, one area of common ground seems to be animal welfare.