Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species [Hardcover]

Laurel A Neme Ph.D. (Author), Richard Leakey (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 7, 2009

Inside the Clark R. Bavin U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory lies a rarely seen world, a CSI for wildlife, where a walk-in freezer contains carcasses and animal parts awaiting necropsies (animal autopsies); shelves and drawers hold pills, rugs, carvings, and countless other products made from parts of endangered animals; and a dedicated group of forensic scientists is responsible for victims from thirty thousand animal species.

Accomplished environmental journalist Laurel A. Neme goes behind the scenes at the wildlife forensics lab -- the only crime lab of its kind -- to reveal how its forensic scientists and the agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working to investigate wildlife crimes, protect endangered species, and stem illegal wildlife trafficking, the third largest illegal trade in the world.

In three fascinating cases -- headless walrus washed up on the shores of Alaska, black bears killed for the healing powers of their gallbladders, and gorgeous feathered headdresses secretly shipped to the United States from the Amazon -- Neme traces the USFWS's daring undercover investigations and how the scientists' innovative forensic techniques provide conclusive evidence of a crime. Throughout, she underscores the staggering international scope of the supply and demand for wildlife and animal parts.

Filled with the suspense and thrilling detail of a crime novel yet driven by the all-too-real drama of a small band of scientists and investigators battling a lucrative, high-stakes underground industry, Animal Investigators is an engrossing account of crime and cutting-edge science.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Few people realize that animal parts trafficking represents a large threat to the global ecosystem; writer and natural resource management expert Neme is one of them. Trading in rare goods highly prized by many cultures, but lacking in human victims, the worldwide animal parts market remains largely invisible, and thus completely underestimated, except in the underfunded U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that's tasked with stopping it. In this engrossing look at the CSI of the animal world, Neme opens readers' eyes through three case studies: walrus tusk hunting in Alaska, an investigation that leads into serious debate over issues of native sovereignty and subsistence hunting; bears poached for their gall bladders, a cure-all in Chinese medicine; and rare Amazonian birds killed for their feathers. Explaining the science behind the work, Neme reveals concrete clues and fascinating sidelights that should keep fans of police procedurals hooked, while also focusing on cultural issues and the challenges of global regulation. Readers interested in true crime, animal rights or television's Law and Order will be fascinated, educated, and perhaps inspired to spread the word.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"A fantastic, exciting and revealing read! Neme takes us deep into the dark world of wildlife exploitation with a thrill level and suspense rivaling any episode of CSI, with one exception, Animal Investigators is far from fiction, as these genuine and mysterious crimes against nature are resolved by crafty and determined experts in the fields of wildlife conservation, law enforcement, and management." -- Jeff Corwin, wildlife biologist, producer, and host

"The greatest threat to the remaining wildlife in African rainforests is the illegal bushmeat trade - the murder of wild animals not to feed starving people but to feed the urban elite. Animal Investigators tells an amazing story about concerned scientists and forensic teams working to solve the murder mysteries that all too often are overlooked: the poaching and smuggling of endangered species." -- Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder - the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace

"The moral case against wildlife trafficking has been made already. Animal Investigators is a stimulating account of what it takes to make the forensic case against wildlife and environmental crime. A new arsenal of techniques for thwarting the billion dollar global trade in illegal animal parts is emerging, just in time for the world's endangered wildlife species." -- Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States

"Think CSI: Wilderness. Laurel Neme's book gives us a new set of heroes, in the labs of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and reminds us of one of the uglier set of villains on the planet, the traffickers in wildlife." -- William McKibben, author of Deep Economy and The End of Nature

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (April 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416550569
• ISBN-13: 978-1416550563
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #686,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laurel Neme has camped in the Kalahari, swum with pink dolphins in the Amazon, and trekked in Tanzania. She's been feted with chickens in remote Malian villages near Timbuktu, advised World Bank and US Treasury officials on development projects, reported on the Conventional of International Trade in Endangered Species and worked in over a dozen African countries as an international consultant specializing in wildlife and natural resource management. As author of ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species, she's learned jungle survival in the Amazon from the Brazilian Federal Police, studied the traditional art of building Siberian Yu'pik walrus skinboats, and examined mammal hair at the USFWS Forensics lab. She's appeared on ABC News Nightline, NPR's Science Friday and C-SPAN, among others, and enjoys addressing professional groups such as Interpol's Wildlife Crime Working Group and the Society of Wildlife Forensic Scientists, and presenting at public venues, such as the American Museum of Natural History and St. Louis Zoo, alike. She writes regularly for Mongabay.com and Earth Negotiations Bulletin, has guest blogged for Animal Planet's "Animals in the News," and hosts a weekly radio show in Burlington, Vermont, called "The WildLife," that features interviews with scientists and other wildlife investigators. She's a fellow at the University of Vermont's Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security. She holds a PhD from Princeton University and Master of Public Policy from the University of Michigan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wildlife CSI at its best!, April 27, 2009

By 

Angie King "Angie King" (South Burlington, VT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species (Hardcover)

I work at a local bookstore and was excited to see this book cross the path of the store manager. I immediately grabbed a copy and began reading. To say that I could not put it down is an understatement. I found it beautifully written from beginning to end and was enthralled by the mysteries as they unraveled. A book like this is long overdue. The read was interesting, informative and surprising. Laurel Neme has done her research! I especially appreciated lens with which the book was written: the criminology behind the poaching of wildlife. "Animal Investigators" presented all the information I was looking for and left me hoping for more books like it. I strongly recommend it!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't miss this book!!, April 24, 2009

By 

M.C. Baker (Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species (Hardcover)

I bought "Animal Investigators" after reading an article on Time.com because I enjoy mysteries and true crime books. It's a quick read, and I finished it in just two days. The engaging narrative brought me right into each of the three cases: walrus poaching, bear poaching for their gall bladders and illegally selling Amazon Indian feathered headdresses. I felt like I was right there with the undercover agents and scientists as they solved these true cases of crimes against wildlife. Most of all, I was astounded to learn how pervasive illegal wildlife trafficking is. It's hard to believe that it's happening in every state. Yet the book is not doom and gloom. I found it uplifting because it shows that for every ingenious method these criminals use to hide and smuggle endangered species, the good guys can meet the challenge. The science these folks are doing to catch smugglers is fascinating--and Neme makes it come alive. Even after a bear gall bladder or rhino horn has been ground up into a powdered medicine, these scientists can identify it. That ability's had an amazing impact on wildlife law enforcement. But as Neme points out, we still need more--and that's up to us to watch what we buy and push for greater penalties. You'll be glad you bought this book as a first step. I am!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic and Informative, April 26, 2009

By 

Bettina Hatami "Blossom" (Paris) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Animal Investigators: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species (Hardcover)

The article in Time drove me to buy the book immediately and I was not disappointed at all. Quite the contrary. A fantastic read on a very important and oft neglected subject. The writer has managed to give an extraordinarily compelling account of investigations conducted by incredible scientists. The science is easily understood and the processes are engrossing. A really good read that kept me up very late. Well done.