WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will no longer allow federal wildlife managers to use spring-loaded cyanide devices, known as M-44s, to help ranchers protect their livestock from predators.

A coalition of environmental and animal welfare groups, led by the Center for Biological Diversity and Predator Defense, petitioned the agency in June to ban M-44s, calling them “indiscriminate killing devices.”

M-44s have been used since the 1930s to control predators in the West — mainly coyotes, foxes and feral dogs. The devices work by ejecting sodium cyanide directly into an animal’s face and mouth, causing death within seconds.

Opponents, however, argue M-44s pose a threat to unintended targets, including humans, pets and endangered species.

The BLM stated in a press release that its decision to ban M-44s follows existing bans or restrictions in several states, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho and California. The devices are also currently prohibited on national wildlife refuges and by the National Park Service.

BLM spokesman Brian Hires declined an interview, though in the agency’s press release it stated that less than 1% of M-44s set by USDA Wildlife Services in 2022 were on BLM land.

Collette Adkins, carnivore conservation program director at the Center for Biological Diversity, praised the BLM’s decision as a step in the right direction.

“This good news is long overdue, but it’s outrageous that other federal and state agencies continue to use these deadly devices,” Adkins said. “We’re going to keep the pressure on until M-44s are pulled from federal lands across the country.”

Two bills were introduced this year that would do just that, sponsored by Democratic Reps. Jared Huffman of California, Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.

M-44s are still being used in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming. Ranchers there claim the devices are valuable tools to protect their livestock, especially when inclement weather prevents them from being able to regularly check traps or patrol vast grazing allotments.

Peter Orwick, executive director of the American Sheep Industry Association representing more than 100,000 producers nationwide, said the vast majority of M-44s are used on private land and the BLM’s ban amounts to little more than a public relations stunt.

“They’re very highly regulated,” Orwick said of the devices. “They use GPS to track the location from where they’re installed. There’s a ton of paperwork that goes with it. That’s all part of the procedure and permitting process that’s gone through multiple (reviews) under administrations of both parties. There’s broad agreement that it’s a very safe, very effective tool for livestock protection.”

M-44s are just one tool to help producers care for their animals, while complying with consumers’ demands for grass-fed, free-range meat and wool.

“What we’re doing is trying to feed and clothe America,” Orwick said. “If you have two months out of the year where that’s the only thing you can do to take out a predator that’s preying on your animals, you should be able to do that.”

The BLM stated its ban on M-44s will not impose restrictions on other predator control techniques.

The agency manages more than 245 million acres, an area roughly the size of Texas and Arizona combined.

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