The Ridglan Investigation
An investigative narrative documenting animal cruelty at Ridglan Farms and the systemic failure to prosecute.
Opening: The Facility
What Ridglan Farms is. 3,200 beagles bred for animal testing in rural Dane County, Wisconsin.
I. The Surgeries
Cherry eye removal and devocalization performed by non-veterinarians, without anesthesia, blood control, or aftercare.
II. The Conditions
Wire mesh flooring, toxic ammonia, solitary confinement, stereotypic behaviors, and systemic filth.
III. The Evidence
Seven years of accumulating proof — video, testimony, inspection reports, expert declarations.
IV. The Silence
Six years of complaints. 983 emails. One meeting. No prosecution. No investigation. No response.
V. The Pattern
DATCP inspects but doesn't enforce. The same violations repeat year after year. Comparison with Envigo.
VI. The Case
Legal analysis: the statutes, the elements, and how each is met by the evidence.
VIII. The Industry
The broader beagle trade — from breeding facility to laboratory. Who breeds them, who buys them, what happens to them.
VII. Investigation Roadmap
What remains unresolved. What records to pursue. Questions for further investigation.