{"id":781810,"date":"2026-08-21T09:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T13:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=781810"},"modified":"2026-08-21T10:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T14:07:25","slug":"how-maga-stole-animal-rights-from-the-left","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=781810","title":{"rendered":"CLOWNS & JOKERS: How MAGA stole animal rights from the ‘left’, and how to steal it back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Under past administrations, bold direct actions like the one seen in Wisconsin have typically been dealt with harshly; for decades, law enforcement equated animal liberation with domestic terrorism. Yet even as it viciously suppresses First Amendment dissent in other arenas, the Trump regime has seemingly embraced some forms of militant animal activism and opportunistically seized the moment to take credit for the heartwarming Ridglan outcome. The far right clearly sees political value in these animal welfare fights. So why has the left largely ceded the issue to them?<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

AARON REGUNBERG:<\/strong> In March, a group of around 50 activists broke into Ridglan Farms, a dog breeding and animal research facility, and liberated 22 beagles, a breed said to be favored by the industry because of their docile and eager-to-please temperaments. The company, which had been the focus of a largely successful multiyear animal rights campaign, was scheduled to surrender its breeding license on July 1 to avoid criminal prosecution after a state investigation had found evidence of felony animal abuse, including severe and unsanitary confinement, eye surgeries performed without anesthesia, and unnecessary euthanasia.<\/em><\/p>\n

But the protesters still weren\u2019t satisfied. They also wanted Ridglan to surrender the animals in its possession to ensure they wouldn\u2019t be killed or sold for use in future experiments. And so, on a bright and chilly April morning, a surprisingly bipartisan group of 1,000 activists traveled to Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, to engage in what they hoped would be a mass \u201copen rescue\u201d of the more than 2,000 beagles that were still held in the facility.<\/em><\/p>\n

The first, smaller liberation was met with comparatively little resistance. This time, however, the company was prepared. Perimeters were blocked and trenches dug and filled with manure to dissuade trespassers. Private security guards and police patrolled in force, ready to repel demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets… After four tense hours, the crowd retreated. Twenty-seven people had been arrested, and several were hurt; one demonstrator reportedly lost multiple teeth. As Primack rushed a friend who had been hit with rubber bullets to the ER, she wasn\u2019t alone in feeling, she told us, \u201ctotally demoralized.\u201d…<\/em><\/p>\n

In April, shortly before the smaller scale raid on the facility, the popular conservative podcaster Tomi Lahren interviewed Hsiung and praised the activists for their bravery. The \u201cbipartisan\u201d issue of animal cruelty, she said, is \u201cone of the few areas I think we can all come together on.\u201d After the action, Lara Trump, President Donald Trump\u2019s daughter-in-law and a proud beagle owner, urged Ridglan to make a deal and sell the dogs. Working behind the scenes, reportedly aided by well-connected allies and some deep-pocketed Trump donors, the activists secured the release of 2,000 dogs on undisclosed terms.<\/em><\/p>\n

Under past administrations, bold direct actions like the one seen in Wisconsin have typically been dealt with harshly; for decades, law enforcement equated animal liberation with domestic terrorism. Yet even as it viciously suppresses First Amendment dissent in other arenas, the Trump regime has seemingly embraced some forms of militant animal activism and opportunistically seized the moment to take credit for the heartwarming Ridglan outcome.<\/em><\/p>\n

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins released a joint video statement boasting about the \u201cmajor win for animal welfare,\u201d while Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin posted a photo of himself with a beagle and doubled down on the administration\u2019s preexisting commitment to eliminating animal testing in January. The far right clearly sees political value in these animal welfare fights. So why has the left largely ceded the issue to them? SOURCE<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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