This is an article back to 12-05, but brings up some useful points. One, is that it seems frankly stupid to call mountain lions or any other animal in it’s natural setting a problem animal when in fact it’s humans who are encroaching on their land. Two, it seems just as stupid to kill some so that humans can continue encroachment. Luckily, they didn’t’ kill them, but will send them to a “shelter” (whatever that is). So, in essence, they will be taken from their land and put in an artificial setting all for simply being who they naturally are.
The simple solution seems to be to tell humans that “…hey, you’re in mountain lion country. Be careful. Go at your own risk.”
Animal rights duo guilty in Sabino case
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/106901
Activists interfered with 2004 hunt after mountain lion problem
By Tom Beal
Two animal activists affiliated with Earth First were convicted Tuesday on one felony and two misdemeanor counts related to their March 2004 disruption of a mountain lion hunt in
Rodney Coronado, 39, of
Crozier joined
After the verdict, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wallace Klein- dienst said
"I know he wasn't tried here for being a violent anarchist. This trial wasn't about Rod Coronado being a terrorist, but he is one," Kleindienst said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly Anderson asked U.S. District Court Judge David C. Bury to order
Bury said he had to rely on the only report before him, which described
In addition to his imprisonment for setting fire to a mink researcher's offices at
After the verdict,
"From the get-go, this was always about doing right by the mountain lions," he said.
Richardson, who was not tried with the other two, faces one misdemeanor count of interfering with a forest officer.
Crozier and
The closure order, signed by a deputy
The Arizona Game and Fish Department, which has authority over wildlife in
After a public outcry, and under pressure from Gov. Janet Napolitano, Game and Fish decided to trap the lions and send them to an animal shelter.
Crozier, Coronado and Richardson entered the canyon in the early morning of March 24, 2004.
Their intent, voiced in
At one point in the tape,
After the three were spotted in the canyon by authorities, they fled, but Coronado and Richardson were caught by agents who located them by using a helicopter that was standing by to transport trapped lions.
The helicopter pilot and a U.S. Forest Service agent with him both testified that they saw the men "digging" at a trap, though they gave different accounts of how many of the men were involved.
Though both defense and prosecuting attorneys said the trial was about the crimes and not about lions or First Amendment freedoms, much of the argument was waged on those points.
Felix also said it was unfair to use
The tape recordings were crucial to the prosecution. Prosecutor Kleindienst, in his closing argument, told the jury that "there is a smoking gun in this case and it's John Richardson's tapes."
Gerry Perry, regional supervisor for Arizona Game and Fish, said it "looks like justice was served. We tried to do the right thing for the lions, also to do what's right for people. If we make the wrong decision and somebody gets hurt, we have to live with those decisions and I don't ever want to go through that again."
Ben Pachano, an organizer with Chuk:shon Earth First, said, "I don't think Rod and Matt were guilty of what they were charged with. That said, we never denied that Earth First wanted to sabotage that mountain lion hunt. We certainly don't regret any of that."
The convictions
Count One: Rodney A. Coronado, 39, and Matthew A. Crozier, 33, were both convicted of conspiring to prevent officers of the United States from doing their duty by force, intimidation or threat and injuring an officer's property. The conviction carries a minimum sentence of probation and a maximum of six years in prison.
Count Two: Both were convicted of interfering with a forest officer, which carries a minimum sentence of probation and a maximum of six months in prison.
Count Three: Both were convicted of depredation of government property, a misdemeanor, which carries a minimum sentence of probation and a maximum sentence of one year in prison.
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