CORONADO, Calif. (May 9, 2022) — In Defense of Animals and outraged San Diego residents returned to “eco-friendly” Hotel del Coronado for a second time on Mother’s Day to protest the hotel’s cruel policy of destroying wild animal families by trapping and killing wild animals on its property. 

On a busy Sunday holiday morning, protestors engaged with hotel guests who were appalled by the Hotel del Coronado’s blatant disregard for wild animals and the surrounding ecosystem. During this peaceful family friendly demonstration, several guests pledged to send opposition emails to hotel management urging them to cut ties with Ecolab and to implement humane, non-lethal alternatives that prevent conflicts with wild animals, in solidarity with over 14,000 In Defense of Animals supporters who sent similar emails. 

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/6ugTPHhBMqM

The 757-room oceanfront resort, which is part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, was Green Seal certified in 2011. It became the first historic hotel to achieve Silver Level Green Seal Certification in 2016, which was awarded for progress against “climate change, waste, natural resources, and health and well being — achieving higher standards of care and stewardship for the environment…”

According to a whistleblower report, the hotel contracts with Ecolab to trap and kill numerous animals on its property, including skunks and opossums, who benefit the environment by serving as ecological cleaning crews. The hotel issued an automatic death sentence to these animals because it’s illegal to relocate trapped animals in California. Thus, all live-trapped animals caught in humane traps in California by “pest control” companies are afterward executed in grisly and painful ways.

Since the first protest on April 9, In Defense of Animals received a response from Hotel del Coronado General Manager Harold Rapoza stating that the hotel does not trap and kill wild animals on the property, which contradicts the whistleblower report of a discussion with an Ecolab pest control operator who confirmed that the company kills animals who are trapped on site. On May 2, In Defense of Animals, Southern California-based attorney Alan Kang of AK LAW ACPC, and San Diego animal activist Ellen Ericksen sent this letter in response.

“Protesting the hotel’s cruel policy of trapping and killing wild animals and of greenwashing animal suffering is the perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day for all animals,” said Lisa Levinson, Campaigns Director at In Defense of Animals. “During spring baby season, trapping and killing animals is especially heartbreaking. Hotel del Coronado doesn’t deserve the Silver Level Green Seal Certification it received in 2016, and won’t until it adopts non-lethal alternatives and chooses compassion over killing.”

California has made considerable efforts to ban the archaic practice of trapping wild animals. The state passed the Wildlife Protection Act of 2019 making it the first to protect furbearing animals by banning recreational and commercial trapping and fur sales. 

Kang previously reached out to the hotel to see if it would voluntarily adopt non-lethal methods of wildlife management. Despite sending a letter and requesting a response, there has been no communication from the hotel to date regarding this issue. 

Kang stated, “We strongly encourage the Hotel Del Coronado to take advantage of the numerous educational resources offered by In Defense of Animals, which ultimately lead to a win-win situation for the hotel, the environment, and our native wildlife.”

To bring local attention to this disturbing situation, In Defense of Animals and San Diego residents will continue to protest Hotel del Coronado’s cruel policy of trapping and killing wild animals on its property. Members of the public are encouraged to join future protests and to take action to prevent the cruel and ecologically damaging trapping and killing of wild animals on hotel property: 

• Take action to stop the trapping and killing of wild animals by Hotel del Coronado

Images: https://bit.ly/MothersDayProtest

Contacts:

In Defense of Animals, Lisa Levinson, lisa@idausa.org, 215-620-2130
Alan Kang, alan@aklawacpc.com, 714-388-6937
Ellen Ericksen, ellenericksen@gmail.com, 760-408-4539
 

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization based in California with over 250,000 supporters and a 39-year history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns as well as hands-on rescue facilities in India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi. www.idausa.org/wildanimals

 ### ENDS ###