In a surprising reversal, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday it is walking back a recent decision to reauthorize use of M-44s, also known as "cyanide bombs," to kill coyotes, foxes, and other wild animals.
M-44s are spring-loaded traps filled with sodium cyanide, which Wildlife Services officials use when they kill animals for ranchers and farmers. Last year, the federal agency killed more than 1.5 million animals, with about 6,500 dying because of M-44s. These traps have also killed pets and injured people who stumbled upon them.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Arts on prescription: why doctors are prescribing museums and comedyIn The Spotlight Stressed-out patients in Switzerland are being prescribed a trip to the museum to boost their mental wellbeing
-
Shompole Wilderness Camp: reconnect with nature at this secluded retreatThe Week Recommends This luxurious family-run camp in southern Kenya has access to more than 350,000 acres of pristine savannah
-
Liberation Day: will Keir Starmer surrender to Donald Trump's tariffs?Today's Big Question After failing to secure exemptions for the UK, PM must decide whether to retaliate or not
-
Scientists invent a solid carbon-negative building materialUnder the radar Building CO2 into the buildings
-
Why plans for a national park are 'ripping apart' genteel GallowayUnder the Radar Galloway's towns are 'bracketed with campaign banners' as residents battle over plans for the park
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central USSpeed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Earth's climate is in the era of 'global weirding'The Explainer Weather is harder to predict and more extreme
-
Jet fuel risk: what effect will North Sea tanker crash have on environment?Today's Big Question Collision area has massive populations of seabirds, such as puffins and gannets, while porpoises and seals breed nearby
-
World's largest iceberg is on a collision path with remote islandsUnder the radar Penguins and seals may be at risk
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslidesSpeed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
-
The worst wildfires in California historyThe Explainer Total damage from the ongoing fires could be up to $150 billion, according to AccuWeather
