Customer Reviews

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

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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!

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!

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.

I've purchased "Animal Investigators" after reading a good review on "New Scientist" magazine, and I have to say that it's an excellent read. It opens your eyes on something which is "invisible" for all of us - provided we don't work in wildlife protection, of course - and it affects the world on a huge scale. Millions of animals of protected species are traded each year around the world. If they are not directly killed to obtain products as "Chinese medicine" remedies or ornaments, the majority of the ones which are "hiddenly" transported dies for the bad conditions of transport. The US Congress in 2008 said that this illegal practices are threatening of extinction some species. And there is so little "social alarm" that the enforcers of law have to struggle with lack of funding and of personnell. REading this book will show you how a bunch of science experts fight all this. And improve the world: our world.

Fantastic Book! Exciting. Meticulously researched. Mystery meets science - bringing readers behind the scenes at the FWS Forensics Laboratory. Neme's evocative style pulled me in. I felt as if I were there watching the FWS agents and lab scientists - flying in a small plane over western Alaska's Bering Sea coastline, uncovering evidence, discovering critical clues, identifying species from feathers, teeth, or organs, and establishing animal forensic methodology that would stand up in court.

I lived in Alaska for 14 years, and remember some of the headlines from the Anchorage Daily News mentioned in the Walrus Forensic Investigation chapter. Neme shows great understanding of Alaska Native cultures, and the importance of Subsistence Rights to Native Alaskans. Hunters, Native community leaders, FWS agents, and lab scientists are presented objectively - in chapters on the Walrus Investigation and throughout the book.

Kudos to Neme and to the FWS Forensic Laboratory! I'd love to read a second volume of Animal Investigators with additional cases the lab has handled.

This book is a really wonderful read. Like the old Sherlock Holmes stories, the solution of these mysteries revolves around a wide spectrum of topics - including criminology, anthropology, animal behavior, chemistry, and biology. The unfortunate backdrop is the astounding scale of international wildlife and animal parts trafficking. This book highlights one aspect of combating this complex problem.

Laurel Neme's Animal Investigators is surely one of the most important books of the century. I look at my own two Maine Coon cats and think how lucky they are: a good home, food and water on demand, and lots of love and petting of that beautiful long fur. But to think of those poor walrus and elephants, killed for their ivory; the bear destroyed for his bile or gallbladders (the photograph of those Asiatic black bears crammed into their tiny cage at the bear farm nearly killed me); and the beautiful Brazilian birds done in for their feathers. Ms Neme evokes all the cruelty of these evil deeds, along with the heroism of the men working to eliminate such outrages in this well written book filled with details and illustrations; and with all the suspense of a crime thriller. A mystery author myself, I couldn't have done as well! I'll never again see a walrus or elephant or black bear without without my eyes filling.

A great book, really enjoyed reading it. I can't wait till CSI: Wildlife or Law & Order: Wildlife is on TV.

An incredibly thorough examination of wildlife trafficking and its dramatic implications for wildlife in America and globally. Many people do not realize the detrimental impact that stems from the demand for wildlife and animal parts. Ms. Neme has created a must-read for anyone interested in combatting these crimes, as well as for anyone interested in cutting-edge forensics.

Before reading this book I knew little about the illegal animal trade, let alone the forensics involved in enforcing the law. This book explores the animal forensics lab and the complex process involved in investigating crimes.

The format of the book provides an easy, enjoyable read, presenting the facts more like a story than a report. Each section provides insight into the day to day issues scientists in the forensics lab face.

I would recommend Animal Investigators not only for those exploring the issues behind animal trafficking, but also anyone looking for an exciting book to enjoy during free time.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone!