A cyanide bomb just injured a boy and killed his dog. The deadly incident occurred in Idaho. The cyanide bomb was planted by the U.S. predator-control agents. The agents use the bombs to target coyotes near homes and hiking trails in the area.
The 14-year-old boy was identified as Canyon Mansfield. He was playing with his yellow Labrador retriever named Casey on Thursday afternoon. Mansfield’s home is located east of Pocatello. The innocent boy saw what he thought was a sprinkler head on the ground and touched the device. Unfortunately, it was not a sprinkler head. It was a cyanide bomb and hence it detonated after he touched it.
The boy's mother, Theresa Mansfield reported that the detonation sprayed the boy and his 3-year-old pet with toxic cyanide gas. Canyon said that the explosion caused a huge bang like a bomb. After which an explosion of an orange substance covered Canyon and his pet. The dog was died in front of Canyon. Canyon’s father rushed to the scene. He tried to save the dog but it died. The boy was tested for cyanide poisoning. The family and the first people at the scene were also decontaminated.
The cyanide bomb is known as an M-44. It was among several placed in the area by Wildlife Services. The Wildlife Services targets coyotes, wolves, cougars, foxes and other animals that cause harm in farms and ranches.
Conservation groups have sued the agency. They claim that the programs to poison, trap and shoot various predator species violate federal environmental and wildlife protection laws. The agencies spokesman said that Thursday's incident marked the first unintentional lethal take of a dog by an M-44 in Idaho since 2014.
The agency said that the devices are only set at the request of and with permission from property owners or managers. The agency said that the devices are activated by spring and not explosives.
The boy’s mother said that the Wildlife Services had not sought to contact the family to apologize for the unfortunate accident. The County Sheriff of Bannock, Lorin Nielsen said that no notice was given to authorities about the placement of the devices. He said in his 20 years of service, he’s never heard of the devices.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/idaho-boy-injured-family-dog-killed-government-cyanide-025850761.html
