This photo shows Glen, a patient we treated for turtle facial inflammation syndrome, or BTFIS. It didn’t have a name until we gave it one, but this disease has been recorded since the 1970s and clearly linked to pesticide exposure since the 1990s. It involves inflammation of the eyes, ears, and nasal passages, often eventually spreading to the lungs or spine. It goes without saying that BTFIS is invariably fatal in the wild.
Science has clearly demonstrated since at least 1997 that wild turtles develop BTFIS after exposure to organochlorine pesticides, the group of pesticides that most notoriously includes DDT. DDT was used in the United States until 1972 and banned after it was found to be responsible for the near-extinction of many species of birds of prey. Other organochlorines have gradually been phased out as well, with the most recent being endosulfan, banned in 2016.
Despite bans on most organochlorines, over 16 million pounds of them are still applied each year in the US, with 313,000 pounds applied annually here in Tennessee. Organochlorines currently used in the U.S. include acephate, bensulide, chorethoxyfos, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, dicrotophos, dimethoate, ethoprophos, malathion, naled, phorate, phosmet, terburfos, and tribufos.
The really big question puzzling us (and certainly our supporters who are following these animals’ stories!) is why we’re suddenly seeing an enormous uptick in cases now, after the most dangerous organochlorines have been phased out. We only had two box turtles admitted with these symptoms in 2021, but we had 26 of them admitted in 2022, and 18 so far in 2023 (and it’s only June). Something must be going wrong for Chattanooga’s box turtles.
There are a few possibilities behind the increase. One is that these turtles, who may live to be 50 years old or more, have slowly accumulated these pesticides in their bodies. Much of the exposure may have happened decades ago, but they managed to overcome the symptoms until a relatively low amount, or a stressor like weird weather patterns or less availability of food, pushed them over the edge. We may actually be seeing the long-hidden results of pesticides that were applied before we were even born.
Another possibility is that pesticides somewhere in the area have been stored improperly. Someone may have dumped or recklessly stored a large amount of an organochlorine and it may have gone unnoticed, only showing up once it had an effect on our box turtles.
It’s also possible that other classes of pesticides, which are increasing in usage rates, have the same effect on box turtles’ bodies as organochlorines. If that’s the case, we’ll continue to see higher rates of BTFIS until those pesticides are also banned or limited in use.
While this entire situation is very dire and very alarming, there is still some hope. At For Fox Sake, we have successfully treated almost every case of BTFIS. Glen here was the only one who passed away of his illness despite our best efforts, as his lungs had become so full of thick mucus that he could not breathe. With box turtle populations continuing to decline throughout the country, we are honored to be playing a role in keeping these important little animals safe in a world where they are increasingly in danger.
If you find a box turtle in Tennessee who is injured or appears to have swelling in the ears or eyes, please contact us. We want to help!
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