M-44 for yotes, you guys familiar with this?

[Sigarms]

Learn something new everyday. Didn't realize that the government was using them agasint ferrel dogs and coyotes.

M44 (cyanide device) - Wikipedia

Friend sent me an article of someone who lost their dog over one of these devices.

I get the fact that some animals need to be eradicated, however, I'm not so certain of leaving basically an unmarked booby trap trap for someone to come across it. It's not like animals can read signs?

 

[ovrszd]

I didn't know of these either.

I'm very Blessed to live in area where dogs are a bit more controlled. I see no chance of any governmental organization here setting these out.

 

[MossRoad]

The article I saw on it last week said a kid was walking his dog, the dog bit the device, it injected cyanide into the dogs mouth (as designed for coyotes), and got the kid as well. The kid watched his dog die a horrible death right in front of him, and the kid managed to survive cyanide poisoning.

 

[MossRoad]

Here's the article...

Boy sprayed with cyanide, dog killed after mistaking coyote trap for sprinkler head | fox8.com

 

[MossRoad]

Correction, the kid set it off, not the dog.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm a total animal lover.

There's so many holes in this story I don't even know where to start.

So I'll just bow out.

 

[Raspy]

If that is a true story, it just pisses me off even more.

 

[k0ua]

I had heard about them years ago. I thought they were no longer in use, but according to the Wiki article they are.. I would not be in favor of those at all.

 

[oosik]

Interesting....... I will be contacting the wildlife personnel on Turnbull NWR to see if these devices are used on their land. Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is right across the county road from my property.

I just now emailed Turnbull NWR and asked them if they use such devices. I will let you know what they have to say.

 

[Sigarms]

Interesting....... I will be contacting the wildlife personnel on Turnbull NWR to see if these devices are used on their land. Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is right across the county road from my property.

If you don't mind, please let us know what they tell you.

I use to do a lot of hiking on federal land out west, and never even heard of these.

Of course there is always the possibility of a internet hoax going around, however, before I posted on the topic, there seemed to be enough evidence if you will that the recent story actually did exist along with files from the government on such studies (as quoted below).

"In the experiment examining camera-monitored versus no-camera M-44 sites, we monitored 24 camera and 24 no-camera stations for 1,673 site days. M-44s were triggered 39times by identifiable species; 36 times by coyotes, 2 times bydomestic dogs, and 1 time by a red fox (V. vulpes), all ofwhich were targeted species for control. There was littleevidence that coyotes were more wary and acted differently atM-44 sites with cameras, because coyotes triggered M-44swith cameras a similar number of times (n 1⁄4 17) comparedwith reference sites without cameras (n 1⁄4 19; P 1⁄4 0.66;t1⁄40.44,df1⁄423). "

Ironcially enough, reading up on the use of these devices, apparently they used them on the east coast as well.