EPA reauthorizes 'cyanide bombs'

[Ridgeratt]

https://www.khq.com/news/epa-reauthorizes-cyanide-bombs-to-kill-wild-animals/article_35ca6d6a-bb09-11e9-baa0-e3abd3e7ea52.html

EPA reauthorizes 'cyanide bombs' to kill wild animals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has started reauthorizing ‘cyanide bombs’ to be used as chemical traps to kill wild animals despite backlash from environmental groups. 
According to CNN, the EPA is reauthorizing M-44 chemical traps filled with sodium cyanide. 

The devices are used to protect livestock and protected species from predators like coyotes, foxes and wild dogs, but critics argue they could harm people and non-predatory animals. 
The EPA received 20,000 letters about the reauthorization, and most where not in support of it. 


A USDA cyanide trap killed a wolf in Oregon that had just been taken off the Endangered Species List. 
The EPA said some restrictions are required such as tell all occupants within a half-mile radius must be notified of the device’s placement. 
Oregon outlawed M-44 devices in 2019. 



Interesting that this was one of the tools they used to eradicate the wolf populations. Now they are bringing them back and are describing it for this use.

  The devices are used to protect livestock and protected species from predators like coyotes, foxes and wild dogs, Wolves.

[baldopepper]

Used to have them all over in Utah when I was young. Always had a sign near them warning you they were there.  My father never allowed us to get near enough to actually see one.  Finally did away with them, mainly because of the effect cyanide had on raptors that fed on poisoned carcasses.  Guess they also took out a few domestic dogs. Not really sure I like seeing them come back into use, but they were pretty effective.

[Sandberm]

I'm not a fan of poison. I like traps. I catch a lot of gophers on the farm with traps.

My old neighbor was using some sort of poison and he ended up in the emergency room getting detoxed after he inhaled enough of it over the course of a morning of dropping bait into gopher tunnels.

Took my dog over to my brothers shop to hang out for the morning while we worked. I look over and hes munching on one of those yellow mouse bait bricks that my bro liberally throws under the bench and in corners of the shop. Fed my dog peroxide and got him to barf it up, went to pet emergency, they gave him a shot and sent us home with a months worth of pills. The dog lived.

My step son recently went to work for a pest control business. His first time going out to poison gophers he killed the customers dog when the dog somehow ate some poison. He never did figure out how the dog got the poison. His boss took the blame for not training him properly.

Had a great horned owl that lived in a tree on the farm. I go over one day and hes lying on the ground dead. You could see where he must have been sitting in the tree over head, then pooped a bunch of blood before falling. I suspect some sort of poison but cant prove it.

[Fl0und3rz]

Bad idea, IMO.

[buglebrush]

Great idea when applied to Wolves. 

[Tracker0721]

Not enough people shooting predators, not enough people trapping, can’t use the right tools, wildlife services is undermanned, seems this is necessary. Gotta check a foothold every few days, set a m44 every week. I boasted about killing 30 coyotes in a year and a old government trapper laughed and said these days that’s good but he used to have hundreds a year when our game populations were peaked.

[bearpaw]

I've seen them in use in Utah, I avoided those areas with the hounds, but completely understand that there are places they are needed.

[KFhunter]

We really need foot holds, snares and eased trapping regulations to avoid DIY poison.    I think it won't be long before the woods is saturated in DIY poison, every tom-dick-harry is going to be tossing meatballs in the ditches!!

[Jake Dogfish]

One thing Trump is consistent on is Environmental destruction. 
Oregon has already banned these, hopefully our state will get on it.

[KFhunter]

One thing Trump is consistent on is Environmental destruction. 
Oregon has already banned these, hopefully our state will get on it.

Not a Trump issue, I doubt it even crossed his desk.  Let's not make this political. 

[buglebrush]

One thing Trump is consistent on is Environmental destruction. 
Oregon has already banned these, hopefully our state will get on it.

Not a political issue, but introducing wolves and overprotecting predators will destroy the environment a lot more than killing predators with cyanide traps. 

[Tracker0721]

I like how they used “bomb” for a little canister that when depressed delivers a nasal spray mist into the animals mouth. If you think we should follow Oregon then go talk to some sheep farmers. The livestock dogs, fences, range riders, gps’s, bells, whistles, whatnots, and scientist aren’t doing a darn thing to actually stop livestock deaths at increasing numbers. We need footholds, more trappers, and more efficient predator hunters, until then- M44s will fill the void, again.

[KFhunter]

There's no one shoe fits all, management needs to be adaptive using whatever tool is necessary and effective.   Having m44's in the tool box is a good idea (along with other tools) and could be applicable in some areas.   

Maybe some M44's will save the Antelope from Coyotes in WA at some point, who knows