Trump administration gives go-ahead for ‘cyanide bombs’ | US | News
A memorandum signed in April by the BLM and the Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program shows the bureau effectively lifting the ban on the deployment of M-44s (spring-loaded poison traps). These traps appear to disperse sodium cyanide powder when triggered.
Sodium cyanide is a highly toxic compound. The compound can be fatal if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin.
Predator Defense, which published the statement, said in a statement: “M-44s are indiscriminate killers and cannot be used safely.” he wrote.
“Their goal is to kill coyotes — any true conservation biologist would say that is a futile effort — but they also kill endangered species, key native predators, and countless beloved dogs, none of which can read the warning signs.”
“They’ve also poisoned countless people. It’s only a matter of time before a child is killed.”
Prior to the 2023 ban, M-44s were used to minimize predation on livestock, manage wildlife diseases, prevent wildlife threats to human safety, and control invasive species. Environmentalists have long argued that this tactic is inhumane, indiscriminate and dangerous to the public.
In 2017, a 14-year-old boy and his dog were accidentally sprayed with water from M-44 in the hills behind their home in Idaho. The child survived, but the dog died at the scene.
The incident led to three states restricting or banning M-44 use, and environmental groups petitioned for a nationwide ban.
The first Trump administration re-authorized federal use of M-44s in 2019, but later reversed that decision due to sustained public outcry. In 2023, the Biden administration banned Wildlife Services from using M-44s on BLM lands across the country.
The decision was welcomed by environmentalists.
But the proclamation appears to reverse the ban and states that Wildlife Services must provide a chemical application notice to the local BLM field office and/or regional office before using pesticides restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
A BLM spokesperson told Gizmodo that the memo describes limited-use pesticides “as tools that may be considered under existing law and environmental review” and does not authorize or expand the use of M-44s.
The declaration sparked renewed concern from environmentalists and public safety advocates, and many organizations vowed to fight the decision.
