The Philosophy of Invading a Beagle Breeding Facility (guest post)

Later this week, at least two philosophers will risk arrest by taking part in the largest-ever open rescue in the history of animal activism. Ridglan Farms, located in Wisconsin, is, according to David Killoren, visiting professor of philosophy at Grand Valley State University, “one of the largest and most notorious suppliers of research dogs in the United States”. This coming Sunday, Dr. Killoren and approximately 2000 others will converge on Ridglan Farms with the aim of freeing the beagles confined there. Participants in the activity commit to an agreement that states, among other things: “During any action, I agree to embody nonviolence in my tone, words, and actions. I will act compassionately towards everyone, including animals, workers, police, and fellow activists.” In the following guest post, Dr. Killoren discusses the plan and the reasoning for it, and raises some questions he thinks other philosophers might have about it. The Philosophy of Invading a Beagle Breeding Facility by David Killoren On April 19, if all goes to plan, the largest open rescue in the history of animal activism will occur. 2000 activists will attempt to rescue 2000 beagles from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin, one of the largest and most notorious suppliers of research dogs in the United States. (For the dogs who are removed on the 19th, a network of foster homes awaits; those interested in adopting a dog rescued from Ridglan can apply here.) Participants in this action will take a significant risk of arrest, and may be charged with felonies such as theft. There are at least two philosophers—me and Aaron Yarmel—who will be participating. If you’re a philosopher who will be there, feel free to out yourself in the comments below. And to anyone who’s feeling inspired to join: signup at the official page may be closed by the time you are seeing this post, but if you email me at david.j.killoren@gmail.com, I can put you in touch with the organizers who can offer you a role. The point of this post is to provide an occasion for discussion among philosophers about open rescue, and about confrontational animal activism more generally. I’ll say a bit about what open rescue is. Then I’ll raise the question of whether open.. The post The Philosophy of Invading a Beagle Breeding Facility (guest post) first appeared on Daily Nous.