Carbondale Author Urges Ban on M-44 Cyanide Bombs

M-44 cyanide bombs are back on Colorado’s public lands, and the government isn’t asking permission.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services has partnered with private businesses to scatter these spring-loaded traps across the Western Slope. They are indiscriminate. They are cruel. And they are deadly to anything with a pulse that likes the scent of meat.

Peter Westcott of Carbondale wrote in the Post Independent Tuesday that the return of these "cyanide bombs" demands immediate action from local officials. He didn’t mince words. He called for county commissioners to prohibit the practice on public lands now.

The mechanism is simple but brutal. A spring-loaded device sprays sodium cyanide into the face of an unsuspecting animal. It targets predators. It targets pets. It targets you.

The bait is sweet. It smells like meat. It draws in raptors, including bald and golden eagles. It pulls in bears, foxes, and bobcats. It catches dogs that pull on the tether.

Westcott noted that the traps had been banned previously due to their deadly impact on wildlife, children, and pets. The current administration is reintroducing them. A federal agency with little oversight is doing the dirty work.

Wildlife Services slaughters animals deemed "undesirable" by agribusiness. Now, they are using poison bombs to do it.

The danger has spiked. More people and more pets venture into wildlife areas and Bureau of Land Management territory every day. One wrong step, one curious child, one eager dog, and you’re looking at a slow, agonizing death.

The traps don’t distinguish between a coyote and a golden retriever. They don’t care if the victim is endangered or common. They just trigger.

Westcott’s letter to the editor wasn’t just about animals. It was a broader warning about how we govern ourselves. He argued that corporations are not people. He argued that the balance of power in our government is fraying.

He pointed to a recent court ruling that lets the president fire employees of formerly independent agencies set up by Congress. That’s not democracy. That’s dictatorship. He said the current Republican majority lets the president do anything he wants out of fear of his wrath.

The message was clear: We are losing control of our own institutions.

He also took aim at the narrative we’re fed daily. Repeating lies doesn’t make them true. The 2020 election was fair. Immigrants aren’t causing a major crime spree. The economy isn’t booming. Climate change is real and man-made.

Westcott challenged readers to show facts that contradict his statements. He admitted there are outlier studies. He said he’d show you the consensus.

The short version? We are being poisoned by design.

The M-44s are scattered across public lands. The bait is sweet. The poison is cyanide. The oversight is thin.

Contact your county commissioners. Ask them to stop it.