About Author, Laurel A. Neme, PhD

Laurel Neme has camped in the Kalahari, investigated walrus carcasses on Alaska's Bering Sea beaches, and explored the Amazon jungle with the Brazilian Federal Police—all in pursuit of knowledge and a better story.

She is the author of ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS: How the World's First Wildlife Forensics Lab is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species, a "CSI for wildlife" that has been featured on ABC News Nightline, and NPR's Science Friday, and also of THE ELEPHANT’S NEW SHOE, about the rescue of a baby elephant who needs a prosthetic foot, and ORANGUTAN HOUDINI (out of print due to publisher's bankruptcy).  She is also a regular contributor to National Geographic, Mongabay.com and The New York Times Magazine for Kids.

She enjoys sharing her experiences on wildlife crime and forensics, animal intelligence, wildlife rehabilitation and science, and what kids and others can do for animals with a range of audiences—from public and professional groups like Interpol's Wildlife Crime Working Group, the St. Louis Zoo, and the American Museum of Natural History, to elementary and middle school students.

Her writing and speaking builds on more than a decade of work in over a dozen African countries, which included being feted with chickens by villagers in Mali and sharing stories with rangers on the frontline of wildlife poaching in South Africa.

In 2013, she was awarded University of Michigan’s Humanitarian Service Award for fighting against wildlife crime and also served as a juror for the Indianapolis Prize animal conservation award. She holds a PhD from Princeton University and a Master's in Public Policy from the University of Michigan—so perhaps that’s why she has a special place in her heart for tigers and wolverines.

You can contact her at: laurel@laurelneme.com.

You can visit Laurel's Simon and Schuster author site.

Learn more about Laurel Neme on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Neme