Forbidden Creatures. ; Inside the World of Animal Smuggling and Exotic Pets

Forbidden Creatures chronicles Laufer's worldwide quest to penetrate the underworld network of hunters, traders, and customers who constitute the nefarious business of animal smuggling.

A fascinating story of the animal underworld

 

On the heels of his acclaimed The Dangerous World of Butterflies, investigative journalist Peter Laufer is back to chronicle his global quest to penetrate the burgeoning underworld of international animal smuggling and who is buying the big cats, long snakes, and great apes that may live in a neighborhood like yours.

 

In Forbidden Creatures, Laufer exposes the network of poachers, traders, breeders, and customers who constitute this often nefarious business—which, estimated at $10 to $20 billion annually, competes with illegal drug and weapons trafficking in the money it earns criminals.      

      

Crisscrossing America and the globe, Laufer introduces brazen and dangerous traders and wealthy (or not-so-wealthy) pet owners whose greed, self-interest, and sometimes genuine love for animals perpetuate what is now a crisis of survival for a growing number of wild species. He turns up stories of exotic creatures of all sorts—from monkeys to chimpanzees, cheetahs to tigers, piranhas to pythons.

 

Among the many people he meets is breeder Connie Casey at “Chimparty,” the Missouri compound where the headline-grabbing Travis the chimp was born and raised, to hear her thoughts about what prompted Travis to attack Charla Nash.

 

Woven throughout with riveting stories from law enforcement officials, federal prosecutors, animal rights activists, and others involved in the business of international animal smuggling, Forbidden Creatures is both an important book and a compelling, first-person narrative written in Laufer’s hallmark conversational, entertaining style.

Annotation NOW IN PAPERBACK!Whatanimals arebeing smuggled, from where and howand why do so many people keep illicit, dangerous pets?On the heels of his acclaimedThe Dangerous World of Butterflies, investigative journalist Peter Laufer is back to chronicle his worldwide quest to penetrate the underworld of international animal smuggling. InForbidden Creatures, Laufer exposes the network of hunters, traders, breeders, and customers who constitute this nefarious businesswhich, estimated at $10 to $20 billion annually, competes withillegal drug and weapons trafficking in the money it earns criminals. Laufer asks: What is being smuggled, from where and why?What is being done to stop the illegal trading and irresponsible breeding? Taking readers to exotic and often lawless locales, Laufer introduces brazen and dangerous traders and wealthy customers whose greed and mindless self-interest perpetuate what is now a crisis of survival for a growing number of wild species. Woven throughout with riveting stories from law enforcement officials and federal prosecutors, Forbidden Creaturesis a compelling, first-person narrative written in Laufers hallmark conversational, entertaining style Front Cover 1 Table of Contents 8 Body 22 Index 261