Rod Coronado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rod Coronado
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Coronado, 2014
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Rodney Adam Coronado
July 3, 1966 |
| Known for | Animal rights, environmental activism, arson |
Rodney Adam Coronado (born July 3, 1966) is an Indigenous American activist. He is known for his work protecting animals and the environment. In the late 1980s and 1990s, he took part in strong actions to support his beliefs.
As a member of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, he helped sink two whaling ships in 1986. He also damaged Iceland's only whale-processing factory. Later, he led a campaign called Operation Bite Back for the Animal Liberation Front. This campaign worked against the fur industry. After an incident at a research center in 1992, Coronado was in jail for almost five years. He later said he was the only person involved. A law called the Animal Enterprise Protection Act was created partly because of his actions.
Coronado continued his activism in the 2000s. He spent eight months in jail in 2004 for trying to stop a mountain lion hunt. In 2006, he faced charges for talking about how he made a device used in the 1992 incident. While in prison, he decided to use peaceful methods instead of forceful ones. This change was influenced by his time in jail and becoming a father. He spent more time in jail for the device charge and a probation violation. Since 2013, Coronado has been working to protect wolves in the United States. He started Wolf Patrol, a group that watches how wolves are treated and reports illegal hunting.
Contents
Early Life and Environmental Work
Rod Coronado was born in 1966. He is of Pascua Yaqui Indigenous background and grew up in California. As a child, he loved nature and was sometimes teased for it. A video of a Canadian seal hunt deeply affected him.
He joined the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society when he was a teenager. This group works to stop whaling. Coronado also joined Earth First!, an environmental group, and the Animal Liberation Front. The Animal Liberation Front is a group that frees animals from fur farms and research places.
Protecting Whales in Iceland
In November 1986, Rod Coronado and David Howitt took action in Iceland. They sank two whaling ships in Reykjavík harbor. They also damaged Iceland's only whale-processing factory in Hvalfjord. Coronado and Howitt were part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. They had spent weeks in Iceland planning their actions.
On November 8, they damaged the factory's computers, cooling systems, and lab equipment. They used tools to break things over eight hours. Then, they drove to Reykjavík. There, they boarded two whaling ships and opened their water valves. Guards stopped them from reaching other ships. Coronado and Howitt then left for Luxembourg by plane. Their actions caused about $2 million in damage.
Animal Rights Campaigns
Coronado helped plan and lead the Animal Liberation Front's campaign against the fur industry in the early 1990s. This campaign was called Operation Bite Back. The first action was in June 1991. An experimental mink farm at Oregon State University was burned, destroying research records. This led to the farm closing. Soon after, another attack damaged a mink feed supplier in Edmonds, Washington. In August, activists targeted a mink farm at Washington State University.
In February 1992, Coronado and two other activists damaged a mink research center at Michigan State University. This caused $200,000 in damage and destroyed 32 years of research. In 1995, Coronado was sentenced to jail time and a fine. He had said he was only a spokesperson, but 25 years later, he admitted he was the only one who carried out the action. The campaign continued while he was in prison, focusing on freeing animals. The Animal Enterprise Protection Act of 1992 was created partly because of Coronado's actions. While in prison, Coronado created a magazine called Strong Hearts.
Mountain Lion Incident
In March 2004, the Arizona Game and Fish Department planned a mountain lion hunt near Tucson. This was because of concerns about lions in the area. There were protests, and scientists had different ideas about moving the lions. On March 24, Coronado was arrested. He had spread lion scent in the park to make it harder for tracking dogs to find the lions. The hunt was called off four days later. Coronado and another activist were charged with trespassing and interfering with an officer. From 2006 to 2007, Coronado spent eight months in jail for this.
Changing His Approach
In February 2006, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Coronado. This was part of a time when the government was closely watching environmental and animal rights groups. Years before, in August 2003, Coronado gave a speech in San Diego. During the speech, he explained how a device used in the Michigan State incident worked. He used a juice container to show it. This led to charges that he showed how to make an explosive device.
Becoming a father and spending years in jail changed Coronado's views. In 2006, while still in jail for the mountain lion case, he wrote a letter. In it, he said he no longer believed in using forceful actions to create social change. He thought about how legal issues and prison had affected his life and family. This was a big change for Coronado. He had been known for his strong actions and for supporting forceful methods. He had even appeared on national television. But he wrote that being a parent means you "practice the very principles [you] seek to teach [your] children."
The case about the device ended without a clear decision from the jury. In March 2008, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year in prison. He wanted to "move on with [his] life" and had already decided to change his approach. Coronado was released in 2009. The next year, a judge sent him back to prison for four months. This was because he had connected with another activist on Facebook, which was against his probation rules.
Wolf Conservation Efforts
Since 2013, Coronado has been involved in protecting wolves in the United States. He started Wolf Patrol, a non-profit group. This group watches how wolves are treated and reports any illegal wolf hunting.
Personal Life
Coronado got married in 2007. He has two children: a son born in 2001 and his wife's daughter, who was born before they met.
See also
- Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network
- Deep ecology
