A Government-Issued "Cyanide Bomb" Killed a Dog and Nearly His Teenage Owner
While walking his dog, 14-year-old Canyon Mansfield came across what looked like a sprinkler near his family's property in Pocatello, Idaho. When the boy reached down to touched it, an orange powder shot out into his face. Mansfield used snow to wash the substance out of his eyes, but when the boy looked over, his 3-year-old Labrador Retriever, Casey, was suffering from a seizure. Casey died within minutes.
Mansfield hadn't found a sprinkler, but an M-44, also known as a "cyanide bomb." The U.S. Department of Agriculture deploys the devices to kill coyotes and feral dogs, but sometimes pets, livestock and other wildlife die from the poisonous traps instead. According to the Washington Post, M-44s unintentionally killed over 300 animals last year.
Thursday's incident stunned the local Idaho community, who say they were unaware of the dangerous devices lurking near their backyards. "We didn't know anything about it. No neighborhood notifications," Canyon's dad Mark Mansfield told Fox 6. "The sheriff deputies who went up there didn't even know what a cyanide bomb was."
According to the Post, the traps must be deployed with warning signs and inspected weekly, but the safety protocol didn't prevent Casey's death. Thankfully, Canyon suffered only minor injuries, the Idaho State Journal reports.
Government officials have since apologized, and promised to investigate the incident. "Wildlife Services understands the close bonds between people and their pets and sincerely regrets such losses," U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman said in a statement.
However, the Mansfields and other residents are calling for stricter guidelines or a comprehensive ban. In fact, the family later found a second M-44 only 50 yards away from the one that killed their pet.
"300 yards from this swing set next to my house there were two cyanide bombs. It kills anything. It almost killed my child and it did kill my dog," Mark told Fox 6. "I don't want it to kill my neighbors."
"It's lethal," Theresa Mansfield, told the Idaho State Journal. "Casey was between 80 and 90 pounds and Canyon is 101 pounds. It could have easily killed my son. It's just a matter of time before something like this takes human lives."
[h/t Fox6]
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