Overview

An intrepid investigation of the criminal world of wildlife trafficking — the poachers, the traders, and the customers — and of those fighting against it. Journalist Rachel Love Nuwer plunges the reader into the underground of global wildlife trafficking, a topic she has been investigating for nearly a decade. Our insatiable demand for animals — for jewellery, pets, medicine, meat, trophies, and fur — is driving a worldwide poaching epidemic, threatening the continued existence of countless species. Illegal wildlife trade now ranks among the largest contraband industries in the world, yet compared to drug, arms, or human trafficking, the wildlife crisis has received scant attention and support, leaving it up to passionate individuals fighting on the ground to try to ensure that elephants, tigers, rhinos, and more are still around for future generations. Poached takes readers to the front lines of the trade: to killing fields in Africa, traditional-medicine black markets in China, and wild-meat restaurants in Vietnam. Through exhaustive first-hand reporting that took her to ten countries, Nuwer explores the forces currently driving demand for animals and their parts; the toll that demand is extracting on species across the planet; and the conservationists, rangers, and activists who are working to stop the impending extinctions — people who believe this is a battle that can be won, that our animals are not beyond salvation.

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9781911617082

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Reviews

`Poached is an incredible, globe-trotting tour ... It is remarkable how willing some people are to openly talk to her ... it is an important story that needs telling. Nuwer remains remarkably cool and non-judgemental, even in the face of corruption, cruelty, and callousness ... Nuwer convincingly shows just how complex and multi-faceted this problem is, how many cultural divides it crosses. I believe her approach is probably the best to try and win as many hearts as possible to her cause.' * Natural History Book Service * `Poached gives readers an up-front look at the vulnerability of endangered animals that are worth more dead than alive ... But these anecdotes aren't just for shock value. Nuwer also documents the political, cultural, and economic factors driving wildlife trafficking ... her takeaway is abundantly clear: This business has major consequences ... Nuwer ... show[s] how obsession, especially when profit is involved, can be a dark force.' -- Will Gordon * <i>Outside</i> * `Poached describes all kinds of heart-wrenching and harrowing moments, but Ms. Nuwer often strikes a lighthearted tone, finding eccentric detail to splash in ... by focusing on the humans at all points of the trade, Ms. Nuwer is able to offer something rare: a window onto the feelings and beliefs that drive it.' -- Jennie Erin Smith * <i>The Wall Street Journal</i> * `Journalist Rachel Love Nuwer presents an incredibly wide-ranging and thorough investigation of the drivers of this trade, its victims and measures to combat it ... The scope of her coverage is both impressive and depressing. This book does not make for comfortable reading, but it is an important story that needs telling.' * <i>The Inquisitive Biologist</i> * `Nuwer writes with breathless urgency about some of the most poached animals on the planet ... Poached overflows with information - Nuwer definitely did her homework - while remaining readable for non-scientists.' -- Kaitlin Stack Whitney * <i>Edge Effects</i> * `Remember the kid in your classroom who was passionate about stopping poaching and saving the elephants? Rachel Nuwer is that kid, now grown up and writing devastating, deeply impactful pieces.' -- Kelly Gibbons * <i>Thrive Global</i>, `Women to Watch in 2018' * `Nuwer, a conservation biologist turned science journalist, traces at first hand the front lines across the globe in her hard-hitting, wince-inducing report.' * <i>Nature</i> * `Nuwer's engaging and immersive reporting style ... illuminates and animates the larger forces driving the trade that's wiping out our remaining wildlife.' * <i>Sierra</i> * `Nuwer's intimate look at different poaching industries is educational and overall heartfelt.' * <i>Library Journal</i> * `A must-read.' * <i>The Revelator</i> * `A deep, disturbing look into the illegal wildlife trade [that] offers a firsthand account of the battle between traffickers and conservationists.' * Science News * `Nuwer finds rays of hope in the park rangers and other conservation experts who are dedicating their lives to saving some of the earth's most majestic creatures.' * Scientific American * `A compelling, lively, and highly informative read.' * Science * `Fellow animal-lovers, don't be deterred: This is not a book of despair. It will make you angry as hell - but then give you hope. Read about the brave people fighting the poaching syndicates. Learn what's working, what's not, and why. This extensively researched, personal, and riveting book is badly needed. Read it and act!' -- Sy Montgomery, author of <i>The Soul of an Octopus</i> `Our planet's most iconic species - particularly African elephants - are facing devastating declines because of poaching. This is an important book that should inspire all of us to action.' -- Paul G. Allen, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist `Poaching has reached crisis proportions, and Rachel Nuwer pursues this story to places few journalists go. The result is a vivid and urgent book.' -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of <i>The Sixth Extinction</i> `A revelation of a book: Rachel Nuwer pulls back the curtain of dry statistics to reveal the illegal and sordid world of wildlife trafficking as well as the valiant efforts to stem the tide. A firsthand account that is hard to put down.' -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President, International Union for the Conservation of Nature-US

`Fellow animal-lovers, don't be deterred: This is not a book of despair. It will make you angry as hell - but then give you hope. Read about the brave people fighting the poaching syndicates. Learn what's working, what's not, and why. This extensively researched, personal, and riveting book is badly needed. Read it and act!' -- Sy Montgomery, author of <i>The Soul of an Octopus</i> `Our planet's most iconic species - particularly African elephants - are facing devastating declines because of poaching. This is an important book that should inspire all of us to action.' -- Paul G. Allen, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist `Poaching has reached crisis proportions, and Rachel Nuwer pursues this story to places few journalists go. The result is a vivid and urgent book.' -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of <i>The Sixth Extinction</i> `A revelation of a book: Rachel Nuwer pulls back the curtain of dry statistics to reveal the illegal and sordid world of wildlife trafficking as well as the valiant efforts to stem the tide. A firsthand account that is hard to put down.' -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, President, International Union for the Conservation of Nature-US

Author Information

Rachel Love Nuwer is an award-winning science journalist who regularly contributes to The New York Times, National Geographic, BBC Future, and Scientific American, among others. She lives in New York.

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