Regarding Gayla Skaw’s letter in the Missoulian on September 11. I am a
wildlife rehabilitator, with over 45 years experience rehabilitating
wildlife in Western Montana. My credentials are a BA with a major in
science and six years of college credits, I can actually read a ruler
and was taught how to necropsy animals by a veterinary pathologist.
Also, I grew up on a ranch, was a 4-H livestock judge and was in 4-H
until 21. I know what constitutes proper development and conformation in
beef, sheep, hogs, horses and other domestic livestock and poultry.
I have written statements from many veterinarians, biologists,
zoologists and others, including the Bitterroot Valley Study Group made
up of veterinarians, biologists, medical doctors and concerned citizens,
that confirm the developmental malformations. And our two research
teams have published two peer-reviewed studies that can be
accessed on Google, “Genital abnormalities in white-tailed deer
(Odocoileus virginianus) in west-central Montana: Pesticide exposure as
a possible cause.” Journal of Environmental Biology 23(2): 189-197
(2002) and “Observations of brachygnathia superior in wild ruminants in
Western Montana, USA.” Wildlife Biology in Practice, 2011 December
7(2): 15-29 doi:10.2461/wbp.2011.7.13
Skaw says her and her colleagues’ credentials consist of successfully
harvesting wildlife for 35 years. She doesn’t say if they actually
examined the animals for underbite, overbite, malformed lower incisors,
male reproductive malformations, malformed hearts, disrupted thyroid
development or any of the other malformations consistent with fetal
thyroid hormone disruption, which began in spring of 1995. We have
data, measurements, photo documentation and specimens and would be
happy to show them or in the case of photos and documents, email them
to anyone who is interested.
Our only agenda is protecting newborn animals, wild, domestic and human from serious prenatal changes that affect their ability to survive. Please vote for candidates who also have this agenda!
Judy Hoy
Stevensville