Rodney Coronado
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Rodney Coronado is an eco-anarchist and animal rights activist. Coronado began his activism immediately after graduating from high school, working with Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Within two years, Coronado had devised a plan to stop Iceland's whaling fleet, which was whaling in contravention of the International Whaling Commission moratorium on whaling; Coronado traveled to Iceland with David Howitt, a fellow Sea Shepherd activist, and on the early morning hours of November 9, 1986, the pair scuttled two vessels, the Hvalur 6 and Hvalur 7. These two vessels accounted for half of Iceland's whaling fleet. A third vessel was left untouched to avoid harming the night watchman; the fourth vessel was in drydock. After scuttling the two vessels, Coronado and Howitt caused $2 million worth of damage to the Icelandic whaling station, before escaping Iceland.
Following the pair's direct action against the Icelandic fleet, Coronado continued to be active in environmental and animal rights issues. In 1994, Coronado was arrested in connection with the arson of the Anthony Hall research offices of Professors Richard Aulerich and Karen Chou at Michigan State University. Aulerich had been engaging in vivisection at his publicly-funded reseach laboratory. Karen Chou's research in an adjoining lab used mouse and boar sperm to determine toxicological effects. Coronado was also involved in the liberation of mink at an MSU mink research farm on Jolly Road, wrecking equipment and opening animals' cages. Coronado served 57 months in a Michigan prison for charges in connection with the MSU actions.
Coronado, who is of Pasqua Yaqui heritage, lives in Tucson, Arizona, where he edits the Earth First Journal. On December 2, 2004 he was indicted on a conspiracy charge related to Earth First! hunt saboteur actions to protect mountain lions in Sabino Canyon, near Tucson; the charge carries a maximum penalty of six years in prison.
Quotes
"What I'm continuing to do is cutting out the equation that wastes the most amount of time - and that is working within the system."
"I wish I could do it again, only I wish I could take all of the animals out of the environmental fur farm....I have absolutely no regrets, and I hope the same thing continues to happen at MSU and every other college campus that does animal research."
External links
- Activists Uncaged (Apr 27, 2004, Michigan State News) (http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=23918)
- Prof reflects on past ties to eco-underworld (Apr 20, 2004, Michigan State News) (http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=23736)