Trump Administration Re-Authorizes Using 'Cyanide Bombs' to Kill Coyotes and Dogs. Here's What to Know
Environmentalist groups have raised concerns about the traps' effectiveness and safety
Environmentalist groups have raised concerns about the traps' effectiveness and safety
According to an analysis of the Wildlife Service’s data the Center for Biological Diversity and the Western Environmental Law Center, M-44 traps killed 6,579 animals in 2018 and 13,232 animals in 2017. In 2017, more than 200 animals were killed accidentally, including raccoons, opossums and a bear.
The “cyanide bombs” are making headlines now, but their use began long before the Trump Administration. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, in 2016 under the Obama Administration, M-44s killed 13,530 animals, and 321 of those deaths were non-target animals including family dogs and a black bear.
Why are cyanide bombs controversial?
In 2017, the traps ignited controversy after an M-44 in Idaho injured a young boy and killed his dog. His family sued the government for more than $150,000.
In 2017, the traps ignited controversy after an M-44 in Idaho injured a young boy and killed his dog. His family sued the government for more than $150,000.
At the end of 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency made a proposal reauthorizing the use of M-44s, opening a comment period that ran until March. According to the EPA’s summary, “The overwhelming majority of comments from the general public, including the more than 20,0000 letters from the write-in campaign, did not support the continued registration of sodium cyanide predacide uses (M-44 devices).”
The EPA’s review of its decision also mentions comments from rancher groups that cited the economic losses they could face if predators attacked their livestock or poultry.
Adkins also argued that research has found effective nonlethal methods to protect livestock, including motion sensing lights and sounds to scare predators away.
“When you kill the animal it’s just a band-aid because another animal is going to move in, it’s just an ongoing cycle of death,” she said.
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