A new bill introduced in Congress aims to ban the use of deadly M-44 devices, known as “cyanide bombs,” on public lands. These spring-loaded traps eject a cloud of sodium cyanide when triggered, releasing poison up to five feet into the air. The devices have caused serious injuries to people, contributed to the death of a man in Utah, and killed thousands of wild animals per year, including endangered species. They are also responsible for the inhumane deaths of numerous family dogs.
The legislation was introduced by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). If passed, it would end the federal government’s use of these cruel and dangerous devices on public lands, offering long-overdue protection for both people and wildlife.
This legislation was first introduced as “Canyon’s Law” in 2017, following a string of tragic incidents involving M-44s. The most high-profile case occurred in Pocatello, Idaho, when 14-year-old Canyon Mansfield touched what he thought was a sprinkler head in the grass while taking a walk behind his home with his dog Kasey. In doing so, Canyon had inadvertently triggered an M-44 device. The bomb’s poison killed his dog and injured him. Canyon was only believed to have been spared from death due to wind direction.
“Working closely with M-44 cyanide bomb victims for more than 30 years, I have witnessed what these indiscriminate devices have done to families,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense, a national wildlife advocacy group. “Countless people have lost beloved pets, and both children and adults have been poisoned. The emotional scars are permanent.”
Despite overwhelming public support for a nationwide ban on M-44s, the Environmental Protection Agency allows the devices to be used by Wildlife Services, the animal-killing program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in their attempts to control native predators like coyotes, foxes, and wild dogs suspected of preying on wildlife.
Last year federal agents reported using M-44s in 10 states: Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming. State agencies are also authorized to use them in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Texas.
According to Wildlife Services’ own data, their program has killed over 10,000 animals with M-44s in just the last two years. Their kills consistently include non-target species over time, including eagles, wolves, bears, bobcats, fishers, and family dogs. Since 1990, more than 50 family dogs have been documented as killed by M-44s, and the full count is estimated to be much higher.
According to reports by federal whistleblowers, many M-44 deaths are never reported. In addition, at least 42 people have accidentally triggered an M-44 since 1984. A Utah man, who was poisoned by an M-44 in 2003 and permanently disabled, died in 2018 with M-44 cyanide poisoning listed as a contributing cause on his death certificate. Former Wildlife Services agents have states that it’s only a matter of time before an M-44 kills a child.
In 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a ban prohibiting the use of M-44s by Wildlife Services on all 245 million acres of BLM lands. M-44s are currently not used on lands administered by the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the Bureau of Reclamation. However, multiple measures to expand M-44 use—including a bill introduced in the U.S. House in April—pose an increasing threat to public and animal safety.
“This is a nonpartisan, public safety issue,” said Fahy. “The federal government has no justification for attempting to ‘manage’ native predators with a device that kills and poisons endangered species, wildlife, dogs, and humans on our shared lands. Since M-44s can never be used safely, they must be banned, and a public lands ban is a great start.”
The original co-sponsors of Canyon’s Law in the House include Representatives Suzan K. DelBene, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jan Schakowsky, and Dave Min. In the Senate, the legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden, Sheldon Whitehouse, Chris Van Hollen, Martin Heinrich, Adam Schiff, and Angela Alsobrooks. The text of the legislation is available for both the House and Senate.
