CONTACT:
Amelia Perrin
Communications Manager
P: 919-619-4913
Camilla Fox
Founder & Executive Director
P: 415-690-0338
PROJECT COYOTE CONDEMNS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORT TO PROMOTE USE OF CYANIDE BOMBS ON PUBLIC LANDS
April 2026 Memo Encourages Use of Indiscriminate Poison Devices That Kill Wildlife, Pets, and Endanger Children on 245 Million Acres of Public Lands
LARKSPUR, CA MAY 18, 2026 – Project Coyote, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting wild carnivores and fostering coexistence between people and wildlife, today condemned the Trump administration’s attempt to reverse the Biden-era prohibition on M-44 “cyanide bomb” devices on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.
An internal April 2026 memorandum of understanding between the BLM and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services effectively strips protections that had reduced use of these indiscriminate poison devices off 245 million acres of public lands since 2023.
The memo removes the Biden-era language that explicitly banned M-44 use on BLM land and replaces it with language directing Wildlife Services to simply notify local BLM offices prior to deploying the devices. The memo is slated to remain in effect until 2031. Language in the FY2027 USDA appropriations bill directs the agency to fully integrate M-44s into its wildlife damage management strategy, signaling that the Administration is moving in a dangerous policy direction.
“This is a devastating and dangerous reversal that puts wildlife, family pets, and people who use public lands directly at risk,” said Camilla Fox, Founder and Executive Director of Project Coyote. “M-44 cyanide bombs are indiscriminate killers that cause tremendous pain and suffering for any wildlife, children, and pets who are unfortunate enough to accidentally set them off. Returning these devices to public lands doubles down on a failed approach to wildlife management that science and public opinion have both rejected.”
M-44 devices are spring-loaded traps coated with scented bait. When an animal pulls on the bait, the device ejects a lethal dose of sodium cyanide directly into the animal’s mouth and face. Death can occur within minutes or extend over many agonizing hours, with victims experiencing seizures, uncontrolled bodily movements, and severe respiratory failure.
The program in 2022 used M-44s to intentionally kill 5,514 coyotes, four feral or free-roaming dogs, 364 gray foxes, and 48 red foxes. Another 150 individuals, mostly foxes, were killed unintentionally that year.
The harm is not limited to wildlife. In 2017, 14-year-old Canyon Mansfield was injured and his beloved dog Kasey was killed after accidentally triggering an M-44 device set by a USDA Wildlife Services employee just 350 feet from the family’s home in Pocatello, Idaho. The incident gave rise to Canyon’s Law (S.2179/H.R.4180), a federal bill that would permanently ban M-44 devices from all public lands. Project Coyote continues to champion this legislation.
Effective, non-lethal methods for reducing human wildlife conflict are widely available. Efforts like livestock guardian animals, range riders, mixed-species herding, improved fencing, shed-lambing, and deterrent lighting are well-documented deterrents to wild carnivores.
“Compassionate coexistence is possible. Science supports it. The public demands it. Quietly allowing poison bombs back onto the lands that belong to all of us is a betrayal of both,” concluded Fox. “There is simply no justification for it.”
Project Coyote urges the public to contact their U.S. Senators and Representatives and demand support for Canyon’s Law. The movement to end cyanide bombs on public lands has already won bans or restrictions in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Federal action is the necessary and overdue next step.
About Project Coyote
Project Coyote is a fiscally sponsored project of Earth Island Institute, a 501c3 nonprofit. Project Coyote’s mission is to promote compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife—particularly North America’s wild carnivores—through education, science, advocacy, and coalition building. Led by scientists, educators, and wildlife advocates, Project Coyote works to change policies and perceptions to protect wild carnivores and foster ethical, ecologically sound stewardship.
Learn more at www.projectcoyote.org.
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