Posts by Laurel Neme
Book explores the world’s first wildlife forensics lab
Review By JESSICA KNOBLAUCH of Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) is also picked up by The Miami Herald
Read MoreBook Review by Mother Nature Network April 2009
Animal Investigators By Laurel A Neme Ph.D. A new book explores how the world’s first wildlife forensics lab is solving crimes and saving endangered species. By Jessica Knoblauch Mother Nature Network (MNN.COM) Not long ago, illegal wildlife smugglers could pretty much get away with murder. From selling polar bear rugs to crocodile-face ashtrays, these smugglers…
Read MoreEagle Feathers Illegally Sold
Feathers from protected bird are a coveted item in many parts of the world. While Animal Investigators details a case of feathered body costumes of Brazil’s Amazon Indians, feathered artifacts from Native Americans in the United States are equally as coveted. In March 2009, four men were arrested by federal fish and wildlife agents after an investigation…
Read MoreArticle in Orion Magazine March-April 2009
Sacred & Mundane Artifacts of Contemporary Culture Fuzzy Forensics by Laurel A. Neme The liquid-nitrogen freezer sits unobtrusively up against the far wall, but crack it open, and, after the clouds clear, you’ll see stacks of animal blood and tissue samples. Turn the corner and you’ll find a walkin freezer off the evidence room full…
Read MoreIvory Carving
The captain contemplated the walrus tusk. If he listened, it would show him what to carve. It had its own soul, and the captain brought out its beauty through careful craftsmanship. Until he started, he wouldn’t know what color or combination of colors it held. Some pieces had a milky iridescence while others looked creamy…
Read MoreCrafting Walrus-Skin Boats
The captain bent over the bow of his walrus-skin angyapiget frame. Like other Eskimo master boat builders and ship captains in his village, he needed to recover his craft every three or four years. He always used hides from female walruses because they were smoother, more flexible and easier to work with than the skins…
Read MoreMaking Walrus-Skin Boats
Preparing the Hide The captain and his extended family draped the walrus hides across makeshift sawhorses. They’d fermented the hide until the hair fell. Now, with sharpened ulus (a traditional moon-shaped knife with a broad steel blade), they scraped off any remaining bits of fat and muscle. Their hard work paid off: a couple hours…
Read MoreReturning from a Walrus Hunt
The skiff touched the rocky beach as the captain and his nephew hopped out. Water lapped at their feet as they steadied the boat so the others could get out. The buzz grew louder as four wheelers brought friends and family to the beach. When they arrived, some grasped the sides of the boat while…
Read MoreBear—The High Stakes of Bear Gall Bladder Trafficking: Homicide
In October 1991, New York Police Department Detective Tommy Dades stepped around the spatters and followed the crimson trail to the first bedroom. His eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the body: a middle-aged Korean-American man, throat slashed, sprawled across one of the beds. A pillow covered the victim’s head, presumably to let his…
Read MoreBear Bile Trafficking Stopped in Los Angeles, California
On March 27, 2009 the press reported that a South Korean woman living in LA illegally imported nearly a kilogram of bear bile via mail into the United States for traditional Chinese medicine. One kilo of bear bile has a street value of about $40,000, and is worth more than a kilo of cocaine. This…
Read MoreNew Scientist reviews Animal Investigtors
NewScientist.com Review: Animal Investigators by Laurel A. Neme 25 March 2009 by Henry Nicholls Magazine issue 2701. ILLEGAL wildlife trafficking is worth an estimated $20 billion a year. That makes it the third most lucrative criminal activity, coming in just behind drug and human trafficking and, incredibly, ahead of arms smuggling. This is a stark…
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