"Before my wife went to medical school, we wanted to have one last spontaneous trip. It was my first time going to Colorado, and we only had about four days to see all that we possibly could. We didn't plan on filming any video, let alone make a traveling video like this. In fact, we didn't even film for most of our hikes out. On the last day, we decided to film a bit more. While 90% of this is from our last day of hiking for 14 miles through Rocky Mountain National Park, there are a few other shots snuck in from camping in the Blue Lakes in Telluride. The film is simply meant to document our trip, and share some of the beauty we had the privilege of witnessing."

On Thursday the Trump administration authorized another weapon in America’s war on the hordes of 30 to 50 feral hogs running through yards and terrorizing our nation’s children: “cyanide bombs.”

That’s what critics call M-44s, traps used by federal agencies like Wildlife Services to kill coyotes, foxes, and other wild animals ranchers and farmers would consider pests. The spring-loaded devices got their moniker from the sodium cyanide—i.e. poison—they spray when triggered.

After finishing its first round of a review Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency reauthorized the government’s use of these traps nationwide, the Guardian reported. That is, at least until 2021, when the EPA plans to hand down its final verdict regarding M-44s.

These “cyanide bombs” have earned plenty of detractors over the years. Wildlife Services reported killing around 6,500 wild animals with the devices in 2018, but the device’s indiscriminate triggering has also reportedly led to the deaths of endangered animals and household pets. More than 200 animals were unintentionally killed by M-44s in 2018, according to the USDA data.

One such case captured the nation’s attention in 2017. That year, a teenager in Idaho accidentally set off an M-44 while on a hike with his dog. The device injured him and killed his dog instantly, prompting Mansfield’s parents to sue Wildlife Services. After several environmental groups followed suit, the agency temporarily stopped using M-44s in Colorado and Idaho.

While a vehement campaign from conservation groups demanding a ban didn’t sway the EPA’s decision Tuesday, the agency did tack on new restrictions. Among other measures, M-44s can no longer be placed within 100 feet of a public road or trail.

By the looks of that USDA data, “cyanide bombs” don’t take out anywhere near the 30 to 50 feral hogs threatening rural Americans yards on what I can only assume is an hourly basis. So this week’s viral Twitter question remains unanswered.

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Back in January, our research biologists came across this octopus when pulling up a stone crab trap in Cedar Key. Octopus can get in and out of the traps easily and depending on region and time of year, it’s not uncommon to find an octopus in a stone crab trap enjoying a meal!

Mozambican artist Gonçalo Mabunda comes to Gorongosa National Park to create art from the wire snares and metal traps used in the illegal bushmeat trade that have been confiscated by Rangers protecting the Park.

These poor bears were rescued from unimaginable horrors. Thousands of these moon bears as well as sun bears are used for #BearBile farming across #China and #Vietnam as well as South Korea, Laos and Myanmar. They're often called battery bears because they're kept in captivity to harvest their bile for use in #TraditionalChineseMedicine _ They're locked in cages so small they can't sit upright or turn around while their bile is stolen via catheters for use in bogus medicines. They're typically starved and dehydrated and the painful, invasive methods used for bile extraction can cause them to lose limbs and go blind. They suffer from extreme physical, mental and emotional abuse all their lives. Some bears are caught as cubs and may be kept in these conditions for over 20 years. Thank you @AnimalsAsia for rescuing so many bears from this horrific abuse. _ Caption @a_lallie Video #Repost @animalsasia #AnimalsAsia