Trump administration authorizes 'cyanide bombs' to kill wild animals

The poison-filled, spring-loaded traps, called M-44s, are used by Wildlife Services for the benefit of farmers and ranchers

The Trump administration has reauthorized government officials to use controversial poison devices - dubbed "cyanide bombs" by critics - to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals across the US.

The spring-loaded traps, called M-44s, are filled with sodium cyanide and are most frequently deployed by Wildlife Services, a federal agency in the US Department of Agriculture that kills vast numbers of wild animals each year, primarily for the benefit of private farmers and ranchers.