Esquire Reporter Arrested in "Closed" AZ Puma Hunt Zone
Federal authorities arrested Esquire reporter John H. Richardson on March 24, 2004, for entering the Sabino Canyon area near Tucson, AZ, which had been closed to the public. The area had been closed so that federal predator-control officials could hunt and kill mountain lions (pumas) they felt had become too accustomed to humans and therefore presented a danger. The degree of danger and the wisdom of a lethal hunt had been matters of controversy among local residents, environmentalists, and wildlife experts. Richardson had been profiling Earth First! activist Rodney Coronado, who had been seeking to disrupt the hunt by planting false scent trails and disabling traps. Both Richardson and Coronado were charged with trespassing, entering a closed facility, and interfering with the lion hunt.
"I don't know how to cover that story from a desk," Richardson told the Arizona Star. "I'm trying to get into their minds, understand their commitment, why they do it, what risks they're taking."
"There were reporters in that canyon that went through the closure area with the Fish and Game guys to take my picture and Rod's picture," Richardson told the Star. "Are the only people who are going to get the story ... those who are approved or sanctioned or embedded with the authorities? Or is it valid to get the story from the other side?''
-- "Esquire Writer 'Will Go To The Wall For A Story'," Arizona Daily Star, March 25, 2004, by Mitch Tobin, http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/metro/15212.php . Backround Page: http://azstarnet.com/sn/wildlife/
3:32:00 PM 
|
