What Are Cyanide Bombs? Deadly Devices Banned After Family Dog Killed

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services division announced Monday it would cease using cyanide bombs on private, state and federal lands in Idaho. The decision comes after an incident in mid-March when a teenage boy in the city of Pocatello was on a walk with his Labrador retriever on his family property and accidentally deployed one of the devices, killing the dog and sickening the boy.

Cyanide bombs, also known as M-44s, look somewhat like sprinklers and are used by the USDA to control wild predators like coyotes. The spring-loaded devices, when touched, spew poisonous sodium cyanide. After the Idaho incident, 19 conservation groups petitioned the government to stop using the devices.

Read: Department Of Agriculture Wildlife Services Killed 2.7 Million Animals In 2016

“I see this little pipe that looked like a sprinkler sticking out of the ground. I go over and touch it. Then it makes a pop sound and it spews orange gas everywhere,” 14-year-old Canyon Mansfield told EastIdahoNews.com. “I look over and see [the dog] having a seizure. I ran over and he had these glassy eyes. He couldn’t see me, and he had this red stuff coming out of his mouth.”

USDA Wildlife Services announced its decision in a letter Monday directed to the petitioners.

“We take seriously the incident in Idaho, which involved the unintentional activation of a small spring-loaded device (M-44),” wrote Jason Duckow, regional director of the USDA Wildlife Services Western Region. “We immediately responded by removing all M-44s from the area, initiating an inquiry into the incident and launching a review of current WS operating procedures.”

Duckow said the groups would be notified 30 days in advance of any new cyanide bombs being placed on lands in Idaho.

The groups noted that while the temporary moratorium was a step in the right direction, it was not enough.

“We welcome the news of a temporary ban, although we remind activists and taxpayers that Wildlife Services has made no commitment to cease the use of M-44s for any definite period,” Animal Legal Defense Fund executive director Stephen Wells said in a statement. “These deadly, inhumane devices could go back into use as soon as next month, so we much remain vigilant.”