Poisoning of palm doves with dibutyltin dilaurate

Abstract

Dibutyltin dilaurate was inadvertently introduced into dairy feed which was consumed by wild palm doves (Streptopelia senegaleniss). About 150 dead and dying doves were found within several days. Extremely high concentrations of tin were found in samples of liver and skeletal muscle in these birds. A sample of the feed, which was found to contain about 2,500 ppm tin, was fed exclusively to 2 normal palm doves. On the 8th day of feeding, one dove died and the other was moribund. High concentrations of tin (27 to 141 ppm) were found in the livers of poisoned birds. Signs of poisoning in both the naturally occurring and experimentally induced poisonings were severe depression and yellow diarrhea.