Actress Alexandra Paul, best known for her role on the TV series “Baywatch,” was among several activists arrested during a break-in at a Wisconsin beagle breeding facility on March 15.
Paul, 62, joined over 50 protesters in illegally entering Ridglan Farms in Blue Mounds, about 30 miles outside of Madison. The activists took 23 dogs to an undisclosed location, according to both the farm and activists.
More than 20 people were arrested. Paul is one of five who remain in custody in the Dane County Jail, along with animal rights activist and attorney Wayne Hsiung, who organized the operation.
“After decades of trying every method to get anyone in power to hear the cries of the pups, going to jail is our tactic of last resort,” Hsiung said in a statement from jail.
Animal rights groups have spent years trying to shut Ridglan Farms down.
Ridglan Farms holds federal licenses both as a dog breeder and as a research facility, and is accredited by AAALAC International, an organization that sets standards for the care of research animals.
Dogs are used to test new drugs, medical devices and chemicals, as well as in research on diseases like cancer and heart disease. Beagles’ docile nature and small size make them ideal for researchers, according to the American Anti-Vivisection Society, an organization that opposes the use of animals in scientific research.
Last January, a Dane County judge heard from former employees who testified that dogs at the facility had their eye glands and vocal cords cut without anesthesia, were kept in small wire cages without outdoor access.
The judge found that testimony credible enough to establish probable cause of animal cruelty violations and appoint a special prosecutor to investigate.
After a state investigation found that non-veterinarians at the facility had performed eye surgeries on dogs without anesthesia, Ridglan agreed to surrender its state breeding license by July 1, 2026, ending its practice of selling beagles to outside researchers. The facility will remain open and can continue breeding dogs for its own internal research.
Paul, who played Lt. Stephanie Holden on Baywatch from 1992 to 1997, is a longtime animal rights activist who has previously been arrested for her involvement in other animal rights protests.
In 2021, Paul was arrested and charged with misdemeanor theft for taking two chickens from a Foster Farms truck in California. She was found not guilty.
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Baywatch actress Alexandra Paul arrested in Wisconsin beagle farm break-in
Reporting by Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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