‘Baywatch’ Actress Arrested in Beagle Rescue
A group of 20 animal rights activists were arrested this week for trespassing following their rescue operation at Ridglan Farms, a beagle-breeding facility in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Among them was 62-year-old actress Alexandra Paul, best known for her role in the 1990s TV series “Baywatch.”
Dane County Sheriff's Office
The 20 arrestees were part of a larger group of 50-60 protesters, according to the Dane County Sheriff’s Office. The rescuers donned white protective suits and allegedly broke into the facility and extracted 31 beagles from cages. Deputies say eight of the dogs were intercepted by police – as were 20 of the protesters. The remaining 23 beagles are unaccounted for, but presumably are free at last.
Ridglan has been a flashpoint for protest for some time. The facility agreed to stop breeding dogs for research by July 1, part of a settlement with Dane County made last October. But the company still touts breeding on its website as its raison d'être: “Our mission is to provide Purpose Bred Beagles for research that increases and exceeds the expectations of the research community.”
The protesters are concerned that the company has no plan to protect and responsibly place the beagles in safe homes when the breeding research officially ends. “These animals deserve a transparent, humane transition plan,” the activists write on petition platform change.org. “Many people believe the remaining animals should be protected and given a safe path forward, including relocation to reputable shelters, rescues, or adoption programs wherever possible.”
The actress Paul is a long-time veteran of civil disobedience, having been arrested in 2017 for a sit-in at an Oakland, California slaughterhouse; arrested at Sunrise Chicken Farm in 2018; arrested for protesting at Reichardt Duck Farm in 2019 (spending two days in Sonoma County jail); nabbed in 2020 in an attempt to rescue a pig from a slaughterhouse; and acquitted in 2023 after a 9-day trial for rescuing a chicken from a Foster Farms slaughterhouse truck.
Paul’s activism goes beyond the frequent arrests. Even when her acting career was just starting out, she insisted on a contract clause stating she would not wear fur for a job, nor would she wear makeup that had been tested on animals. She eventually stopped wearing leather, wool, and even silk. True commitment to a role.
Photo credit: Wayne Hsiung
