Rights groups raise issue of habeas corpus in animals

Listen to this article

Two animal rights groups have filed a lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court seeking the release of about 2,000 beagle dogs and puppies from Ridglan Farms Inc. in Blue Mounds.

The lawsuit filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project and Animal Activist Legal Defense Project claims the dogs are subject to mistreatment, stating that Ridglan Farms is in violation of Wisconsin’s animal cruelty law.

“Wisconsin law gives these beagles a right to be free from cruelty. Now it is time for the courts to recognize that the right is meaningful and not just words on paper,” said Christopher Berry, executive director of the Nonhuman Rights Project.

Ridglan Farms, a beagle breeding facility for research purposes, has previously faced legal scrutiny. In January 2025, a special prosecutor was appointed after a judge found probable cause of anti-cruelty law violations. The business avoided prosecution by relinquishing its state license to sell dogs by July 1, 2026.

Justin Marceau, director of the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, said the lawsuit is a natural extension of habeas corpus.

“Habeas corpus has always been a tool for confronting injustice. Applying it to protect severely abused beagles is an extension of that tradition — not a break from it,” he said.

Courts in the past have shied away from applying the concept to animals, ruling that animals are personal property and not “persons.”

Ridglan responded to the lawsuit with a statement: “The state’s recent settlement with Ridglan Farms resolved all previous legal issues and animal care concerns, while preserving Ridglan Farms’ ability to continue research that primarily benefits our pet animals through new and improved vaccines and treatments that help extend and save animal lives.”

If the lawsuit is successful, Ridglan Farms said its impact will be far reaching.

“If successful in this case, the animal activism community will undoubtably use this same justification to repeatedly seek to halt the use of animals for food, research, hunting, fishing and other activities that involve animals. This should alarm residents in all states where farming is a major economic driver, especially Wisconsin where animal agriculture is the cornerstone of our economy. For example, the dairy industry alone contributes nearly $53 billion to our state economy each year.”