Cyanide Bombs Used to Kill Predators Banned on BLM Land

M-44 cyanide bombs have finally been banned on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This victory for animals follows years of action from numerous animal welfare organizations and wildlife activists, including Lady Freethinker.

The nationwide ban on M-44 cyanide bombs on public lands will be effective for a minimum of five years, according to news.

M-44 cyanide bombs are cruel traps placed by Wildlife Services with the intent to lure and kill animals. The traps are baited to draw animals towards them. They are triggered when touched and release sodium cyanide. Animals who ingest the poison suffer chemical asphyxiation generally resulting in an excruciating death.

No animal deserves to be lured to an agonizing, slow death.

These cruel traps kill indiscriminately. Non-targeted animals — including endangered animals and family dogs — are just as at risk of being killed by M-44 cyanide bombs as targeted animals.

In 2017, Canyon Mansfield was playing with his dog near his backyard and triggered an M-44 cyanide bomb, according to CBS News. They were both within range of the M-44 cyanide bomb when it went off. The child was poisoned and tragically forced to watch his beloved dog die in front of him.

“I saw this red froth coming from his mouth and like his eyes turning glassy and it was like having a seizure,” Canyon Mansfield told CBS News.

Canyon’s dog is not the first family dog killed by an M-44 cyanide bomb. Too many innocent companion animals have been reportedly killed by traps on public lands.

As public support grew for a ban on these inhumane traps, they were banned at the state level. Oregon passed a statewide ban on M-44s in 2019, according to OPB. This ban came two years after a gray wolf was killed by an M-44 cyanide bomb in Oregon.

The nationwide ban on M-44s is good news for wildlife and companion animals. Lady Freethinker is encouraged by public support for the ban of these cruel traps and hopes to see other cruel traps, such as steel jaw traps, similarly banned.

You can help wildlife and other animals by signing our petition calling for a ban on other inhumane traps and urging the USDA and Wildlife Services to prioritize non-lethal wildlife management strategies.