HELP: local Wildlife Deformities

[ttweed@wildrockies.org (Tony Tweedale)]

12 Feb. 97

I am searching for qualified ecotox (toxicologists, wildlife biologists,
etc.) people interested in (and in helping out) in a very curious
ecological mystery with ENDOCRINE DISRUPTION clues.

In the beautiful and famed Bitterroot valley of SW Montana (Lewis & Clark's
toughest traverse:  over the Bitterroots into Idaho's Salmon-Selway Rivers
wilderness), longtime wildlife rehabilitator Judy Hoy has been carefully
documenting a wide range / large number of congenital and existing physical
abnormalities in wildlife since spring '96.

Because of her careful work (besides the written & photographic
documentation, she has saved whole animals and fetuses, excised genitals
and other parts), Judy has gotten the MT-FWP Dpt. to investigate (autopsy
based) the problem.  I have read MT-FWP's recent brief report and
conclusions, and it simply does NOT correspond with reality, as documented
by Judy.  Aside from glaring inconsistencies in the discussion &
conclusion, it apparently contains critical errors in the gross
pathological examinations, such as descriptions of contents of bags that do
not correspond with what Judy mailed, and descriptions of tissues as normal
that Judy says she cannot understand).

The GOOD NEWS is, MT-FWP has banked (frozen) certain tissues, including
livers, from Judy's animals, so it is still possible to do chemical and
micro biological analysis on them.

In brief (and only roughly accurate & complete, as I'm not intimately
familiar with her results), Judy and her husband, who come across many
road-killed and other mammals, amphibians and birds; began seeing mid-line
and genital anomalies in deer, and developmental & other problems in birds.
Inbreeding in deer has easily been ruled out, given the populations here.
Many deer had (I've seen some of the pictures) rotated, misplaced and
shrunken genitals.  In this regard, MT-FWP's explanations--caused by the
physical impact with cars & trucks, or wrt to rotation of genitals, that it
is natural--do not stand scrutiny.  Enlarged teats growing in front of a
scrotum, or a scrotum sack that is way out of place are NOT caused when you
are run over on a road!  Judy says the abnormal scrotum rotations she
observed did not straighten when the legs were spread (normal).  Other
cases involved shrunken and undescended genitals.  Some fetuses had
apparently skull & skeletal malformations.

In summer of '97, baby birds had overgrown (not deformed, by Xray) lower
mandibles (one w/ crossed mandibles), and 8 had one foot twisted so that
they walked on its side; some birds had unusual feather development.  At
this time people were reporting dead babies in nests, reduced #'s of
fledglings, and single nestings (in starlings).  Amphibians:  2 foot and
one leg deformities were known to Judy.  Also at this time, people observed
missing/severely depressed generations, and dead young, in various  small
mammal and raptor species.

All this naturally suggests a hypothesis of pesticide exposure.  Judy has
documented recent patterns of pesticide use in the valley.  She has also
gathered some reports of human birth defects in this period, and possible
increased rates of domestic animal miscarriages and abnormal offspring,
including some quite feminized (physically & behaviorally) goats.

Judy has just contacted various professionals for help, but at this point
anyway is still frustrated and wants more advice and input (Judy has no
email).  If you are qualified and willing to help, please contact me. I
would be happy to snail mail MT-FWP's report .  Anyone who wants her two
summary reports ('96, '97), I will Email them to you, or send you the FWP
report if you really want/need it.  Please pass this report on to anyone
qualified to lend advice on how to proceed with this problem.  Regards,

Tony Tweedale
224  E. Pine (2)
Missoula MT 59802-4541
tel: 406-542-1709               fax: 406-728-0867       email:
ttweed@wildrockies.org

(Causality is a concept not subject to empirical demonstration.   -David
Hume, 1711-1776)