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"There's a cruel, tragic irony in the fact that the very device that poisoned me and forced me to witness my dog’s death was manufactured and built only miles from my home, in my city that used to feel so familiar," said Canyon Mansfield. "Stranger still, that the Depot responsible was the sole supplier for the entire United States. My sense of sanctuary was shattered, and my safe hometown became just an illusion of the past."
Global public outcry exploded after the 2017 incident, and a subsequent APA petition and litigation led to Idaho now going almost 10 years without using M-44s, pending a full Environmental Impact Statement.
"While I am powerless to change what happened to my son, this resolution is very meaningful and should spark change," said Dr. Mark Mansfield, father of Canyon. "There is no safe or targeted way to use an indiscriminate poison device. Legislative intervention for a federal ban is necessary, as cyanide bombs are coming back to BLM lands right now as we speak."
M-44s have injured dozens of people to date, contributed to a Utah man's death, and inhumanely killed thousands of animals every year, including endangered species and dogs. Additionally, USDA Wildlife Services whistleblowers report that countless nontarget animal deaths go unreported. Experts repeatedly mention that there is no way to use M-44s safely, as no dog, wild animal or child can read warning signs.
“Working closely with M-44 cyanide bomb victims since 1994, I have witnessed what these indiscriminate devices have done to families who have lost beloved pets, been poisoned themselves, or potentially lost a child,” said Brooks Fahy, executive director of Predator Defense. “Countless people have been traumatized. The emotional scars are permanent."
In their efforts to ban M-44s, Predator Defense has helped facilitate multiple, ongoing introductions of federal legislation now known as "Canyon's Law." They have also helped achieve statewide bans that created a West Coast free of M-44s and a 2023 ban on all 245 million acres of BLM land. This spring when they heard the administration decided to allow M-44s to return to almost all BLM lands, they mobilized numerous victims of M-44 devices and sent a heartfelt and highly detailed letter to top federal officials, Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior, and Stevan Pearce, Director of the Bureau of Land Management, urging them to not to return the devices for predator control, due to public safety concerns. The letter also features lists of incidents and deaths and key observations from experts, including physicians, a veterinarian, a scientist, a former wildlife agent, and a former Congressman.
"While this Pocatello vote is a symbolic act, not a legal one, it sends a powerful message to the federal government of how strongly the public feels on the issue," said Fahy. "No one has forgotten. This Depot has brought nothing but pain and misery to this community and is a constant reminder of the insanity of the government's predator poisoning campaigns. This city council action should be a a vivid wake-up call to federal officials to voluntarily withdraw these devices before one kills a child."
"I have always loved Pocatello and believe we live in the greatest place on earth," said Dr. Mansfield. "In 2017, the people of Pocatello rallied around this issue and showed my family love. Tonight, they did the same, passing this resolution on a vital public safety issue with a unanimous vote. They have done what is righteous to protect people, pets and wildlife."
"Despite the bitterness that still grips me when I happen near [the Supply Depot], I still hold much faith in my city," said Canyon Mansfield to the councilmembers before their vote. "Faith that my family’s suffering wasn’t in vain; faith that Kasey’s death would enact change. The faith that you, who have been entrusted to lead, bear our community’s best interests in mind. And so, I have come here, guided by this sense of faith to stand here and ask, that when you cast your vote, you prove this faith right."
They did just that.
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Predator Defense is national nonprofit advocacy organization that has championed wolves, coyotes and other native predators with science, sanity and heart since 1990. They are devoted to helping people learn to coexist with wild animals and to ending America's war on wildlife.
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