As seen on the Sierra Club – The Green Life

The Green Life—Wednesday Book Roundup: Books By and About Eco-Heroes such as Jeff Corwin and Laurel Neme

 

Animal Investigators: How the World’s First Wildlife Forensics Lab Is Solving Crimes and Saving Endangered Species (by Laurel A. Neme, $25, Simon and Schuster, Apr. 2009): This book offers a fascinating glimpse into the animal kingdom’s CSI equivalent: the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Forensics Laboratory. It’s a one-of-a-kind institution fully dedicated to investigating wildlife crimes and staffed by scientists who painstakingly piece together the physical evidence needed to bring criminals to justice. Neme examines three particular cases involving bear gallbladders, walrus heads, and a feathered headdress from the Amazon, detailing the challenges researchers faced and how they overcame them to help stem illegal hunting and trafficking. It’s a technical read, but conservationists and the science-minded will appreciate the in-depth look at this critical line of work.