M44 (cyanide device)

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The M-44 consists of a capsule holder, a cyanide capsule, a spring-activated ejector, and a stake. Bilingual signs warn about the device. M44 cyanide device.png
The M-44 consists of a capsule holder, a cyanide capsule, a spring-activated ejector, and a stake. Bilingual signs warn about the device.
When the trap is set, only the capsule holder and capsule protrude above ground level. Closeup of a set M-44 device.jpg
When the trap is set, only the capsule holder and capsule protrude above ground level.

The M44 cyanide device (also called a cyanide gun, cyanide trap, or canid pest ejector) is used to kill coyotes, feral dogs, and foxes. It is made from four parts: a capsule holder wrapped with cloth or other soft material, a small plastic capsule containing 0.88 grams of sodium cyanide, a spring-powered ejector, and a 5–7 inches (130–180 mm) stake. To install the trap, the stake is first driven down into the ground, and then the capsule is put in the holder, screwed onto the cocked ejector, and secured to the stake. The wrapped capsule holder is smeared with scented bait to attract coyotes and make them bite and pull on it. (The use of a bite-and-pull action makes the trap less likely to be set off by¹ non-canine wildlife. [1] ) When the trap is triggered, the spring propels a dose of sodium cyanide into the animal's mouth, and the sodium cyanide combines with water in the mouth to produce poisonous cyanide gas. [2] In addition to the cyanide, the capsule contains a brightly-colored particle marker (orange in capsules used by the Wildlife Services, and yellow in capsules prepared for other users). [3]

Contents

Development

The M44 was invented in the 1960s to replace a similar device known as a 'Coyote Getter', which had been in use since the 1930s. The Coyote Getter used a .38 Special pistol cartridge case to contain the sodium cyanide mixture, and ejected the cyanide with a primer. The wad and cyanide were ejected with great force and could be quite hazardous. For example, in 1959 a 15-year-old boy lost one eye when he accidentally set off a Coyote Getter by stepping on it. In 1966 a man was hit in the left hand and died from cyanide poisoning, and between 1965 and 1971 at least 17 humans were injured by Coyote Getters. In the early 1960s the Fish and Wildlife Service started to develop a safer, spring-loaded replacement device. Much of the work was done by James Poteet, a predator control specialist in Midland, Texas who received a patent for the device in 1967. The new device was gradually phased into federal management programs beginning in 1967, and by November 1970 it had substantially replaced the Coyote Getter. [3] [4]

Since its introduction, the M44 design has been updated several times to solve problems such as caking in the cyanide capsules and malfunctioning ejectors. One effort between 1977–1979 resulted in a completely new, slightly larger cyanide ejector called the M50. A field evaluation in 1982 showed that the older Poteet-designed M44 actually performed better, and the M50 was phased out. In 1984, the M44 ejector body and capsule holder were redesigned when it became necessary to replace the dies that had been used since 1967 to cast those metal parts. That model is still produced, with some major adjustments [3]

Use against canines

The M44 is in frequent use by the USDA Wildlife Services in their programs to eliminate coyotes. For example, in 2016, out of the 76,963 coyotes that Wildlife Services killed, the M44 was used to kill 12,511 of them (16%). [5] State agencies in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Texas also use the device. [6]

More recently, M44 devices have begun to be used in Australia to control foxes and wild dogs. There they are loaded with sodium fluoroacetate (also known as 1080 poison) or PAPP (4'-Aminopropiophenone) instead of sodium cyanide, and are called 'Canid Pest Ejectors'. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service carried out trials from 2005–2011, and in 2016 they were approved for general use. The mechanical devices and lure heads are sold freely, but because the toxin capsules contain a regulated poison they require the purchaser to have a state permit. [7] [8]

Criticism

Use of the M44 device has been criticized by animal welfare and environmental groups because there are many unintended victims including pets and endangered species, indicating a lack of selectivity, rather than the intended high specificity. [9] In 2003, Dennis Slaugh of Vernal, Utah, was on public lands and mistook an M44 for a survey marker. When he pulled on it, the device shot sodium cyanide powder on his face and chest causing him to become violently ill. [10] In February 2006, an M44 device killed a man's dog in Utah, as the dog and owner were walking through public land. The man was also affected by the cyanide in the device, and sought compensation from the US Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Service, along with the Utah Department of Food and Agriculture. [11] In 2012 a family dog was killed in Texas. [12] Between 2013–2016, M44 devices killed 22 pets and livestock animals. [13] In 2017 a 14-year-old boy in Idaho was injured, and his dog killed, by an M44 placed less than 300 feet (91 m) from his home. [14] [15] On April 11, 2017, a month after the boy in Idaho was injured, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it would be ending the use of the device in Idaho indefinitely. [16]

In August 2017, WildEarth Guardians submitted a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting that it prohibit use of sodium cyanide devices. During the public comment period WildEarth Guardians and the Center for Biological Diversity organized a write-in campaign and the EPA received more than 20,000 letters from the public against the devices. In an interim decision in June 2019, the EPA decided to keep the M44 devices approved (noting that without them producers of sheep, goats, and cattle would likely incur higher costs and/or more livestock loss), but added some restrictions on use near public roads or private land. [17] [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyanide</span> Any molecule with a cyano group (–C≡N)

In chemistry, a cyanide is a chemical compound that contains a C≡N functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coyote</span> Species of canine native to North America

The coyote is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche as the golden jackal does in Eurasia. The coyote is larger and more predatory and was once referred to as the American jackal by a behavioral ecologist. Other historical names for the species include the prairie wolf and the brush wolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhole</span> Species of mammal

The dhole is a canid native to Central, South, East and Southeast Asia. Other English names for the species include Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, red wolf, and mountain wolf. It is genetically close to species within the genus Canis, but distinct in several anatomical aspects: its skull is convex rather than concave in profile, it lacks a third lower molar and the upper molars sport only a single cusp as opposed to between two and four. During the Pleistocene, the dhole ranged throughout Asia, Europe and North America but became restricted to its historical range 12,000–18,000 years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red wolf</span> Canid native to the southeastern United States

The red wolf is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote and gray wolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dingo</span> Canid species native to Australia

The dingo is an ancient (basal) lineage of dog found in Australia. Its taxonomic classification is debated as indicated by the variety of scientific names presently applied in different publications. It is variously considered a form of domestic dog not warranting recognition as a subspecies, a subspecies of dog or wolf, or a full species in its own right.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swift fox</span> Species of mammal

The swift fox is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. It also lives in southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada, where it was previously extirpated. It is closely related to the kit fox and some mammalogists classify them as conspecific. However, molecular systematics imply that the two species are distinct. Interbreeding between the two species does occur where their ranges overlap, but this hybridization is quite restricted in scope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pest control</span> Control of harmful species

Pest control is the regulation or management of a species defined as a pest; such as any animal, plant or fungus that impacts adversely on human activities or environment. The human response depends on the importance of the damage done and will range from tolerance, through deterrence and management, to attempts to completely eradicate the pest. Pest control measures may be performed as part of an integrated pest management strategy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richardson's ground squirrel</span> Species of rodent

Richardson's ground squirrel, also known as the dakrat or flickertail, is a North American ground squirrel in the genus Urocitellus. Like a number of other ground squirrels, they are sometimes called prairie dogs or gophers, though the latter name belongs more strictly to the pocket gophers of family Geomyidae, and the former to members of the genus Cynomys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gray fox</span> Species of canid (Urocyon cinereoargenteus)

The gray fox, or grey fox, is an omnivorous mammal of the family Canidae, widespread throughout North America and Central America. This species and its only congener, the diminutive island fox of the California Channel Islands, are the only living members of the genus Urocyon, which is considered to be genetically basal to all other living canids. Its species name cinereoargenteus means "ashen silver".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feral pig</span> Any type of feral domesticated pig, wild boar, or hybrid

A feral pig is a domestic pig which has gone feral, meaning it lives in the wild. The term feral pig has also been applied to wild boars, which can interbreed with domestic pigs. They are found mostly in the Americas and Australia. Razorback and wild hog are Americanisms applied to feral pigs or boar–pig hybrids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sodium fluoroacetate</span> Chemical compound

Sodium fluoroacetate, also known as compound 1080, is an organofluorine chemical compound with the formula FCH2CO2Na. This colourless salt has a taste similar to that of sodium chloride and is used as a rodenticide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coywolf</span> Hybrid mammal

A coywolf is a canid hybrid descended from coyotes, eastern wolves, gray wolves, and dogs. All of these species are members of the genus Canis with 78 chromosomes and therefore can interbreed. One genetic study indicates that these two species genetically diverged relatively recently. Genomic studies indicate that nearly all North American gray wolf populations possess some degree of admixture with coyotes following a geographic cline, with the lowest levels occurring in Alaska, and the highest in Ontario and Quebec, as well as Atlantic Canada. Another term for these hybrids is sometimes wolfote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poison shyness</span>

Poison shyness, also called conditioned food aversion, is the avoidance of a toxic substance by an animal that has previously ingested that substance. Animals learn an association between stimulus characteristics, usually the taste or odor, of a toxic substance and the illness it produces; this allows them to detect and avoid the substance. Poison shyness occurs as an evolutionary adaptation in many animals, most prominently in generalists that feed on many different materials. It is often called bait shyness when it occurs during attempts at pest control of insects and animals. If the pest ingests the poison bait at sublethal doses, it typically detects and avoids the bait, rendering the bait ineffective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trapping</span> Use of a device to remotely catch an animal

Animal trapping, or simply trapping or ginning, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food, the fur trade, hunting, pest control, and wildlife management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuisance wildlife management</span> Process of selective removal of problem individuals or populations of specific species of wildlife

Nuisance wildlife management is the selective removal of problem individuals or populations of specific species of wildlife. Other terms for the field include wildlife damage management, wildlife control, and animal damage control. Some wild animal species may get used to human presence, causing property damage or risking the transfer of diseases (zoonoses) to humans or pets. Many wildlife species coexist with humans very successfully, such as commensal rodents which have become more or less dependent on humans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic sheep predation</span>

Along with parasites and disease, predation is a threat to sheep health and consequently to the profitability of sheep raising. Sheep have very little ability to defend themselves, even when compared with other prey species kept as livestock. Even if sheep are not directly bitten or survive an attack, they may die from panic or from injuries sustained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1080 usage in New Zealand</span> Pest control in New Zealand

1080, the brand name given to the synthetic form of sodium fluoroacetate, is used in New Zealand in efforts to control populations of possums, rats, stoat and rabbits, which are invasive species in the New Zealand environment. Although the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment deemed the use of 1080 in New Zealand "effective and safe" in a 2011 re-evaluation and the substance is widely considered to be the most effective tool currently available for controlling possums over large areas, it remains a contentious issue, with the majority of the debate occurring between conservationists and livestock farmers on one side and hunters and animal-rights activists on the other.

Wildlife Services is the program intended to provide Federal leadership and skill to resolve wildlife interactions that threaten public health and safety, as well as agricultural, property, and natural resources. The program is part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4'-Aminopropiophenone</span> Chemical compound

4'-Aminopropiophenone is a chemical compound. It is highly toxic, and can cause injury or death upon physical contact or inhalation of fumes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern coyote</span> Coywolf native to the northeastern United States and eastern Canada

The eastern coyote is a wild North American canine hybrid with both coyote and wolf parentage. The hybridization likely first occurred in the Great Lakes region, as western coyotes moved east. It was first noticed during the early 1930s to the late 1940s, and likely originated in the aftermath of the extirpation of the gray wolf and eastern wolf in southeastern Ontario, Labrador and Quebec, thus allowing coyotes to colonize the former wolf ranges, and mix with the remnant wolf populations. This hybrid is smaller than the eastern wolf and holds smaller territories, but is larger and holds more extensive home ranges than the typical western coyote.

References

  1. Shivik, John A.; Mastro, Lauren; Young, Julie K. (2014). "Animal attendance at M-44 sodium cyanide ejector sites for coyotes". Wildlife Society Bulletin. 38: 217–220. doi:10.1002/wsb.361.
  2. Wildlife Services (May 2010). "Factsheet: M-44 Device for Local Predator Control" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2017. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Blom, F. Sherman; Connolly, Guy (2003). Inventing and Reinventing Sodium Cyanide Ejectors. A Technical History of Coyote Getters and M-44s in Predator Damage Control (Report). U. S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.515.2690 .
  4. Lee, C. "Status of M-44 Device". Archived from the original on March 19, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2007.
  5. USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (2016). "Program Data Report G - 2016: Animals Dispersed / Killed or Euthanized / Removed or Destroyed / Freed [filtered by Killed or Euthanized]" . Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Sophie Lewis (August 8, 2019). "Trump administration reauthorizes use of "cyanide bombs" to kill wild animals". CBS News. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  7. "Canid Pest Ejectors". Department of Agriculture and Food. November 16, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  8. "Canid Pest Ejector: New Technology for controlling foxes & wild dogs". Animal Control Technologies (Australia) Pty Ltd. December 3, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  9. Olsen, Jack (1971). Slaughter the Animals, Poison the Earth . Simon & Schuster. ISBN   978-0671209964 . Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  10. "Secures EPA Investigation of M44 Sodium Cyanide Poisoning". Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  11. Utah Man Demands $10,000 for Poisoning Death of His Dog Archived 2008-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Federal Trapper Targeted and Killed Dog According to Texas Dept. of Ag". Predator Defense. 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  13. Bump, Philip (March 21, 2017). "A dog in Idaho was killed by a cyanide trap laid by the U.S. government". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  14. Ashby, David (March 16, 2017). "Pocatello boy watches family dog die after 'cyanide bomb' explodes". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  15. "The secretive government agency planting 'cyanide bombs' across the US". The Guardian. June 26, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  16. "After Outcry, USDA Stops Using 'Cyanide Bombs' In Idaho — For Now". NPR News. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  17. Sodium Cyanide, Interim Registration Review Decision, Case Number 8002 (PDF) (Report). United States Environmental Protection Agency. June 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2019.