Great news out of Oregon! Thanks to your help—as well as that of our colleagues with Predator Defense, Oregon Wild, Audubon Society of Portland, and others—SB 580, a bill to ban cyanide devices (also known as M-44s or cyanide bombs), was signed into law Monday by Governor Kate Brown. The legislation prohibits the use of deadly M-44s to kill coyotes, foxes and other wildlife in Oregon.
This victory in Oregon—following bans in California (1998/ballot measure) and Washington (2000/ballot measure)—sets a standard for the humane treatment of wildlife in the thirteen states that have yet to ban cyanide bombs. These cruel and senseless devices are still used for predator control in Nevada, Utah, Colorado (only on private land), Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Virginia, and West Virginia. (Idaho placed a temporary moratorium on M-44 use in 2017.)
We will continue pressing for a ban of poisons and other indiscriminate wildlife killing methods across the West, and we thank all of our supporters who spoke up for Oregon’s wildlife, people and pets—your voices made a difference!
For coexistence,
Katie Stennes
Project Coyote Programs & Communications Manager
P.S.: More good news! On Monday in California, the State Assembly passed AB 1788, which would ban deadly rodenticides, by a vote of 50 to 16—that bill now moves on to the Senate.