Thanks to your letters and calls SB 580, a bill to ban cyanide devices (also known as M-44s or cyanide bombs), passed the Oregon state legislature and is waiting to be signed into law by Governor Kate Brown. The legislation would abolish the use of cyanide bombs to kill coyotes and foxes and other wildlife in Oregon. The devices cause agonizing deaths for wild animals and are a serious public safety threat, endangering the lives of children and pets.
We need your voice to urge Gov. Brown to sign SB 580 into law. If enacted, the bill would set an example for the 13 other states that currently use M-44s.
Please act today—contact Gov. Brown!
First, please call Gov. Brown at (503) 378-4582 (when prompted, press 3) and ask her to sign SB 580 into law to protect people, pets and wildlife from dangerous and senseless cyanide bombs. Next, go here to send written comments to the Governor.
Talking Points (please personalize!):
- M-44s have killed thousands of pets and wild animals in Oregon. Death by cyanide poisoning is excruciating for the animals who fall victim to the devices.
- The devices are essentially indiscriminate land mines, endangering any person or animal that happens upon them. For example, in 2017 an M-44 injured a boy and killed his dog in a widely publicized incident in Idaho. Also in 2017, a protected gray wolf was accidentally killed by a cyanide bomb in Oregon. There is no safe way to use M-44s.
- There is no credible scientific evidence that indiscriminate killing of wild carnivores serves any legitimate wildlife management purpose. There are many effective, non-lethal alternatives to prevent conflicts between livestock and predators.
- Coyotes, foxes and other wild animals are critical to healthy ecosystems. Concentrated removal of these animals is counterproductive to sound wildlife management and is wasteful, unnecessary and cruel.
- Oregon’s wildlife is worth more alive than dead. People come from all over the world to view and photograph wild carnivores in Oregon – the ecotourism industry is an important part of the state’s economy.
For more information, check out Predator Defense’s website.
Thank you for speaking up for Oregon’s wildlife, people and pets!
Katie Stennes
Project Coyote Programs & Communications Manager
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