A “cyanide bomb” planted by U.S. predator-control agents targeting coyotes near homes and hiking trails in Idaho exploded when a boy handled the device, injuring him and killing his dog, authorities and relatives said on Friday.
Canyon Mansfield, 14, was playing with his yellow Labrador retriever, Casey, on Thursday afternoon near his home east of Pocatello when he saw what he thought was a sprinkler head on the ground and touched the device, causing it to detonate.
The explosion sprayed the boy and his 3-year-old, 90-pound (40 kg) pet with toxic cyanide gas, according to the boy’s mother, Theresa Mansfield.
“Canyon said there was a bang like a bomb, then an explosion of an orange substance that covered him and Casey, who was writhing in pain on the ground before he died right in front of Canyon,” she said.
Pic of a device:
Apparently they put blood and flavor on it, and when it is touched it detonates, spraying cyanide all around. I am not sure why you wouldn’t just spike meat with poison, given if it sprays enough to kill an 80lb dog, you’d think it could kill a child – and there are quite a few cases of humans being hit by them and needing immediate hospitalization. I could see myself as a kid noticing one of these out in the middle of nowhere and wondering what it was. I might even not think “explosive cyanide bomb” and take a closer look.
You’ve gotta be wary these days. Amygdalae are atrophying everywhere as free resources and lack of threat take their toll. If I were putting one of these out near a residential area, the first thing I would think is that a kid or pet might find it, and I would be freaked out by that. Either the agent who placed it was amygdala-addled, or he had some issue in the neighborhood with neighbor’s dogs or trespassing kids, and he used the coyote-pretext to justify putting it out there. Though in the PDF linked above, it turns out the Wildlife Service has a habit of going on private property and placing these without notifying the property owner. It almost feels like the producer is somehow politically connected, and they have a quota for placing these devices to justify the contracts.
Either way common sense and common decency are all decaying, so we will all have to watch our own asses in the years to come.
Spread r/K Theory, because putting out dog-killing cyanide bombs is just retarded
[…] Dog Killed, Boy Injured By US Government Cyanide Bomb […]
Coyotes and what to do about them are an endless topic of conversation in our Irvine, CA NextDoor group, with many wanting them trapped and killed, and others wanting area humans trapped and killed instead. At least one local even tried to feed them, despite that being against the law here, in hopes that would get them to leave their tiny fluffy dog alone rather than having it for a snack.
I suspect the politics of it are about the same as for what to do about illegal immigrants…
Are they crazy? Leaving bombs with poison gas in them laying around????
They need to encourage ranchers to get guard dogs or guard donkeys instead of randomly placing poison all over. I would never in a million years believe that they would do such a silly thing. I could easily see myself picking up something like this if it were placed on my property and I wondering what it was would pick it up.
Yeah, that was my thought, followed by an immediate mental confusion, because I like to think I am paranoid, and this makes me somewhat more likely to survive. I pictured getting a face full of cyanide when I touched it, and then wondered what kind of idiot would I be to pick up something I didn’t understand.
I realized I am adapted to a world where people don’t leave dangerous stuff laying around, and maybe it is time for that to change.
Grandad says hes been seeing them put out for years and that theyve NEVER worked right. What does work is arsenic placed caruefully inside a cube of lard.
Tax dollars at work. In the 1950’s this would have never happened. B of LM should be defunded.
Trapping and killing coyotes in an effort to reduce their numbers is a fools mission. Its one of the few predators whose numbers will actually increase the more they are hunted. The litter size among remaining females will actually increase , over the long term , as a result of dropping population numbers. These population reduction campaigns have never worked. Temporarily, they may result in a slight population drop, however in a short period of time the coyote numbers will rebound – often times higher than before the campaign. They are the true anti-fragile predator. Wolves, grizzlies and cougars its not this way but for a true survivalist like the “brush-dog” thats the way they have evolved/adapted to survive. Very few mature coyotes will attach a healthy mature cow. Its usually and animal that is sick that gets attacked. That said, if you create habitat that supports healthy naturally occurring rodent and deer population they will prefer to prey on those over taking down prey that poses more of a challenge – like cows.
The clowns in the USDA trying to kill coyotes using poison are the same ones who have a forest management policy that is hands off and then when fires start work overtime to suppress them. Simpletons who believe knee jerk reactions constitute sound management policies.
Mind you I’m talking about something on my own property. From now on I’ll move any odd objects with a stick but I could see myself picking up something that looked like a sprinkler, before this article. I had no concept, no idea, not even an inkling that the government would put poison bombs on private property and public thoroughfares. It would never occur to me.
I was surprised that a government trapper would place a cyanide bomb that close to civilization. Makes me wonder if the employee responsible is dumber than average (affirmative action hire) or a radical animal rights advocate making a statement. I’m guessing the employee is Mexican. Never blame malice when stupidity will suffice.