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Animal Underworld: Inside America's Black Market for Rare and Exotic Species
A shocking investigative expos(r) documents the big business of exotic animal trafficking?and implicates leading zoos, wildlife parks, and dealers nationwide
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 1999
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July 6, 2012
The main problem with this book is that it was written by a reporter and so it reads like a 300 page newspaper article. These types of books tend to be best written with some narrative or single story that ties each of the chapters together. That being said, the content of the book is pretty shocking. The best way to describe it is in terms of a controversy that is making its way through the art world. University libraries and non-profit museums who have been bequeathed paintings by rich donors are having financial trouble and selling works that were given to them out of generosity and a desire for the public to have access to the pieces. The children of the donors are finding out after the fact that the pieces are ending up back in private hands or that the museum is making millions of dollars in profit off their donation. Well, zoos do the same thing but worse. Baby giraffes and gorillas sell tickets and bring in visitors their first few years of life but as they mature they become liabilities and weaker draws. Zoos donate (launder) them to animal "sanctuaries" who sell them for canned hunts or to private owners. Or the state will seize a tiger from some freak's apartment in Harlem and give it to what they think is a rescue organization only to check back a year later and find no trace of it. In fact, there is a newspaper called Animal Finders Guide that I get where you can actually buy these animals - everything from tigers, bears, lions, apes - that have been laundered through private dealers and auctions and can't be traced.
It is a weird subject to be into but there is something there. All the books I've read on it have been interesting but never completely the whole story. For instance, authors like this one make a special point to criticize roadside animal attractions or exotic exhibits in malls or schools. The evidence they use is how the animal must feel, how it's twisted or barbaric. They never look at why people seem to be attracted to it - why we've been doing this to bears and tigers and elephants since before the Romans. What is it that draws people to captive, wild animals? Is there something to be said for this experience? That a child in in 15th century The Medici Giraffe or a Tiger Truck Stop in Louisiana both felt the same awe and fear and surprise. I think there is and I wish someone would figure it out.
It is a weird subject to be into but there is something there. All the books I've read on it have been interesting but never completely the whole story. For instance, authors like this one make a special point to criticize roadside animal attractions or exotic exhibits in malls or schools. The evidence they use is how the animal must feel, how it's twisted or barbaric. They never look at why people seem to be attracted to it - why we've been doing this to bears and tigers and elephants since before the Romans. What is it that draws people to captive, wild animals? Is there something to be said for this experience? That a child in in 15th century The Medici Giraffe or a Tiger Truck Stop in Louisiana both felt the same awe and fear and surprise. I think there is and I wish someone would figure it out.
March 31, 2012
Ever wondered what happens to elderly zoo animals? Well, to hear the zoos tell it, they’re sent to sanctuaries to peacefully live out their days. It’s a bit like that dog you had as a kid, the one that went to live on a farm.
Except, you now know that that dog actually died. And elderly or unwanted zoo animals suffer an even worse fate. They might get sent to a so-called sanctuary, but then they’re passed on to dealers, who sell them to private collectors who don’t know how to care for them, or they’re plunked down into staged hunts and sold as trophies, or they’re simply shipped overseas for their body parts.
Animal Underworld tells the story of the USA’s exotic animal trade. I was expecting a tale of underworld intrigue and organised crime, but the saddest part about this ‘industry’ is that there is scarcely any danger of prosecution, let alone jail time. As one dealer in the book remarks, why sell drugs when you can make the same amount of money selling animals and only face a misdemeanour if caught?
Underworld isn’t a particularly well-written book (see below), but I found it incredibly compelling. A week after finishing it, I’m still thinking about it. Animal abuse runs through the veins of this industry, but perhaps more disturbing than the ‘entrepreneurs’ who are looking for a quick buck are the genuine animal lovers who nonetheless end up keeping their exotic animals in horrific conditions because caring for them properly is such a financial burden.
It’s hard not to want to reach into the book, grab these people and shake them. DON’T BUY A LION AND EXPECT IT TO BE A GOOD PET. It’s not just the obvious exotic ‘pets’ (lions, tigers, cougars) that pose problems. Primates come with their own set of issues, too.
For the first couple of years of their lives, monkeys are sweet and affectionate. You can’t toilet train them, but they make reasonable enough pets. Then they reach maturity and they get aggressive. Accustomed to rigid hierarchies with their fellow monkeys, they’re likely to attack the weaker members of the group – i.e. children. And since primates carry any number of diseases, when your formerly-sweet monkey bites your child’s face, the child will probably die of a tropical illness that your local hospital won’t know how to treat.
Hey, monkey fans: GET A CAT INSTEAD.
The material contained within Underworld is undeniably compelling. Unfortunately, the structure and narrative of the book are lacking. Underworld suffers from a syndrome that I come across so regularly in non-fiction that I’ve decided to give it a name: “Look at all this research I did, motherfucker!” (or “ResearchMotherfucker!” for short).
ResearchMotherfucker! is what happens when an author carries out an exhaustive amount of research for a book, conducting hundreds of interviews and clocking up thousands of miles on his/her car. Then, when he or she comes to write up their field notes, they simply can’t bring themselves to leave out a piece of research detail that they worked so hard to get. Narrative is forgotten in the name of, “well, I RESEARCHED this, motherfucker!”
Underworld could have been edited into a taut real-life thriller. Instead, we have a flabby, overlong infodump that, despite the shocking subject matter, manages to be seriously dull in places.
The flaws in the writing aside, it’s still a book I’d recommend. It’ll change the way you think about zoos and captive exotic animals, that’s for sure.
Except, you now know that that dog actually died. And elderly or unwanted zoo animals suffer an even worse fate. They might get sent to a so-called sanctuary, but then they’re passed on to dealers, who sell them to private collectors who don’t know how to care for them, or they’re plunked down into staged hunts and sold as trophies, or they’re simply shipped overseas for their body parts.
Animal Underworld tells the story of the USA’s exotic animal trade. I was expecting a tale of underworld intrigue and organised crime, but the saddest part about this ‘industry’ is that there is scarcely any danger of prosecution, let alone jail time. As one dealer in the book remarks, why sell drugs when you can make the same amount of money selling animals and only face a misdemeanour if caught?
Underworld isn’t a particularly well-written book (see below), but I found it incredibly compelling. A week after finishing it, I’m still thinking about it. Animal abuse runs through the veins of this industry, but perhaps more disturbing than the ‘entrepreneurs’ who are looking for a quick buck are the genuine animal lovers who nonetheless end up keeping their exotic animals in horrific conditions because caring for them properly is such a financial burden.
It’s hard not to want to reach into the book, grab these people and shake them. DON’T BUY A LION AND EXPECT IT TO BE A GOOD PET. It’s not just the obvious exotic ‘pets’ (lions, tigers, cougars) that pose problems. Primates come with their own set of issues, too.
For the first couple of years of their lives, monkeys are sweet and affectionate. You can’t toilet train them, but they make reasonable enough pets. Then they reach maturity and they get aggressive. Accustomed to rigid hierarchies with their fellow monkeys, they’re likely to attack the weaker members of the group – i.e. children. And since primates carry any number of diseases, when your formerly-sweet monkey bites your child’s face, the child will probably die of a tropical illness that your local hospital won’t know how to treat.
Hey, monkey fans: GET A CAT INSTEAD.
The material contained within Underworld is undeniably compelling. Unfortunately, the structure and narrative of the book are lacking. Underworld suffers from a syndrome that I come across so regularly in non-fiction that I’ve decided to give it a name: “Look at all this research I did, motherfucker!” (or “ResearchMotherfucker!” for short).
ResearchMotherfucker! is what happens when an author carries out an exhaustive amount of research for a book, conducting hundreds of interviews and clocking up thousands of miles on his/her car. Then, when he or she comes to write up their field notes, they simply can’t bring themselves to leave out a piece of research detail that they worked so hard to get. Narrative is forgotten in the name of, “well, I RESEARCHED this, motherfucker!”
Underworld could have been edited into a taut real-life thriller. Instead, we have a flabby, overlong infodump that, despite the shocking subject matter, manages to be seriously dull in places.
The flaws in the writing aside, it’s still a book I’d recommend. It’ll change the way you think about zoos and captive exotic animals, that’s for sure.
May 30, 2025
2.5 stars
This expose was written in the 90s, so unfortunately, a lot of it is already outdated. The author puts in his due diligence. Unfortunately, the whole thing reads like one example of unethical exotic dealing after another, without giving the reader much catharsis or resolution. Essentially, roadside attractions and zoos are f*cked and need better policies, but who really will enforce these regulations?
This expose was written in the 90s, so unfortunately, a lot of it is already outdated. The author puts in his due diligence. Unfortunately, the whole thing reads like one example of unethical exotic dealing after another, without giving the reader much catharsis or resolution. Essentially, roadside attractions and zoos are f*cked and need better policies, but who really will enforce these regulations?
March 5, 2023
A DISTURBING AND REVEALING REVELATION
Journalist Alan Green wrote in the Prologue to this 1999 book, “the animals at Wild Safari … [were] cared for so well under the management of Time Warner---that they would be moved en masse from their summertime habitat and so carefully shielded from the threats of harsher weather. This is just the sort of commitment that has helped Wild Safari earn its standing as a valued resource for wildlife preservation. But with the relocation to winter quarters comes a parallel migration---a one-way exile that unceremoniously removes dozens, sometimes hundreds, of animals from the drive-through park… it’s merely the first leg of an arcane and largely invisible process that shunts Wild Safari’s animals from place to place, laundering them into obscurity until they’re deposited with auctioneers, backyard hobbyists, or dealers… who [run] an exotic-animal hunting operation on [a] Texas ranch that boasts fifty species of game…” (Pg. x-xii)
He notes in the Introduction, “a pair of eight-month-old black bears… epitomized the allure of zoos. Animals in the wild may be threatened by hunters, poachers, disease, and starvation, but those in captivity have presumably been granted safe haven… the lives of zoo animals unfold daily in plain view, sometimes from birth. As a result, we develop relationships with zoo animals and care about their individual love.” (Pg. xiv) He continues, “hand-raised bears lack the skills required to live in the wild, so they can’t be released. Few animal sanctuaries have the space or facilities to properly take care of the bears. There is… no place for them., and that are of real worth only when disassembled: The skins are made into rugs. The claws become jewelry. The flesh is packaged for restaurants. The paws go to Asia, where they’re regarded as delicacies. And most valuable of all are the gall bladders, which can earn smugglers a few thousand dollars apiece.” (Pg. xv-xvi)
He goes on, “with the ever-growing demand for exotic animals… [sellers] are always in search of more inventory. And there’s plenty out there, compliments of an elaborate network of breeders, dealers, and middlemen, many with ties to roadside zoos, university research facilities, and even state wildlife agencies… dealers… clean the runny nose of the nation’s zoos.” (Pg. xxiii)
He laments, “captive-bred wildlife is by and large no one’s responsibility, no one’s jurisdiction, and really no one’s concern. As a result, the animals are part of an elaborate and sinister shell game, quietly shunted from place to place by those more interested in profits than protection of the species. But search through enough records… and much of the deception is ultimately revealed: you can uncover the laundering schemes, pinpoint the animals’ destinations, and document how the self-appointed guardians of exotic species are quietly in league with the most disreputable traffickers… you can understand how the federal, state, and local laws designed to protect wildlife are flawed, riddled with enough loopholes to permit those bent on exploiting the system to do so with virtual impunity. And you can gauge the consequences of society’s inattention to the scandals small and large, consequences that include the spread of diseases with potentially serious human repercussions.” (Pg. xxviii-xxix)
He explains, “Some of the surplus giraffes disposed of through these animal dealers end up at roadside menageries. Others end up at substandard overseas zoos or with eccentric collectors like pop star Michael Jackson. Still others are sold and resold, shunted through the exotic-animal netherworld until their fates are impossible to determine. Maybe they land at a game farm or a hunting ranch---in other words, on death row. Maybe they’re turned into animal feed, as some zookeepers privately suspect. Or maybe they’re the source of the giraffe loins and boneless cuts advertised by … exotic-meat purveyors… Happily for many zoo directors, tracking this sordid commerce via public records is often difficult, if not impossible. These zoo professionals are, after all, at the front end of an elaborate shell game…” (Pg. 12)
He deplores “self-proclaimed wildlife experts who have cashed on the public’s seemingly insatiable desire to see and learn about animals. Despite their lack of formal training or credentials, these so-called authorities---many of whom operate not-for-profit organizations---have managed to pawn themselves off as trusted sources of information, hoodwinking schools, community groups, and such respected media outlets as the Discovery Channel… these imposters come off as legitimate guardians of wildlife. What the public never sees are their citations for animal-welfare violations… their mistreatment of the very animals they claim to be saving.” (Pg. 20-21)
He notes, “many zoos treat their animals as little more than last season’s merchandise, slashing prices on unpopular or unwanted specimens much the way department stores mark down clothing.” (Pg. 47) He adds, “Besides, who could say whether it was in fact a particular zoo’s animal that landed at a canned hunt or in an auction ring? When animals are repeatedly sold, swapped, and shipped from one place to another, whey they’re moved through a system fraught with incomplete, even bogus, record-keeping and laundered like drug money, their origins soon impossible to pinpoint or verify. This gives all parties to the deal adequate cover.” (Pg. 49)
He recounts, “Slaughter is just one way that zoo animals die… Sometimes animals are bludgeoned to death by intruders or tortured and tortured and left to die… Sometimes … relatively harmless petting-zoo animals are shot by neighbors or passerby after they wander off the grounds.” (Pg. 51-52) Later, he adds, “many zoo animals are made to disappear. They’re first sent off to a dealer, conservation center, or wildlife propagator … In many instances, these animals are transferred elsewhere… Those third parties are then free to move the animals again… There is no paper trail to speak of…” (Pg. 83)
He reports, “The exotic-pet industry relies on a never-ending stream of new animals as a means of enticing those who have tired of their degu, tenrec, or whatever else is in vogue. In early 1995, the rage---albeit brief---was bats that dealers in the United States imported from the Middle East… Because the bats carry troublesome viruses, the CDC immediately limited ownership to diagnostic laboratories… and scientific researchers. With the bats banished, the fennec fox and … wallabies rose to newfound prominence.” (Pg. 105)
He points out, “Even if an undercover officer unearths evidence of wrongdoing, agencies must then deal with a judicial system that places wildlife crime far down on its scale of priorities. Most judges neither understand wildlife crime nor take it seriously; penalties are usually misdemeanors that bring jail time only to the worst of the worst… As a result, offenders escape with a paltry fine instead of a criminal record.” (Pg. 176)
He explains, “The primate trade… [is] a business filled with cruelties… Three- or four-year-old monkeys undergo dramatic personality changes… They become unruly and destructive… so their teeth are extracted… males are castrated and the females spayed… Others are tagged for disposal. But hand-reared monkeys lack survival skills, and therefore can’t be returned to the wild. Zoos don’t want them. Animal shelters aren’t equipped to keep them. Sanctuaries are overrun with others like them. In many instances, the only willing takers are the dealers who fuel the trade in infant monkeys… [who] sell them are year-olds to unsuspecting clients.” (Pg. 187)
He observes, “Renters vacate apartments and leave their exotic pets behind. Birds and reptiles are seized from people trying to smuggle them into the United States… big cats are abandoned at highway rest stops… Monkeys spill… out of universities and biomedical research labs. Pet owners lose interest in their animals… or can no longer afford the care…” (Pg. 233-234) He adds, “Sanctuaries are usually not licensed, regulated, or inspected… so their animals may be underfed, in need of medical attention… There’s also nothing to prohibit sanctuaries from dealing their animals to exotic-meat vendors, or pelting out animals… [or] even sell its rescued animals to operators of canned hunts.” (Pg. 238-239)
He concludes, “zoos will fight all attempts to make their affairs public and to change the way in which they do business. They will instead … regurgitate the undeniable proof of their value… Zoos helped save some animals from extinction… And, perhaps most important, zoos afford the public a connection with wildlife … that instills in many the desire to do more to help protect … all other species. If that’s true, then perhaps this stewardship should be extended to all captive animals…” (Pg. 260)
This book will be “must reading” for those concerned with animal welfare.
Journalist Alan Green wrote in the Prologue to this 1999 book, “the animals at Wild Safari … [were] cared for so well under the management of Time Warner---that they would be moved en masse from their summertime habitat and so carefully shielded from the threats of harsher weather. This is just the sort of commitment that has helped Wild Safari earn its standing as a valued resource for wildlife preservation. But with the relocation to winter quarters comes a parallel migration---a one-way exile that unceremoniously removes dozens, sometimes hundreds, of animals from the drive-through park… it’s merely the first leg of an arcane and largely invisible process that shunts Wild Safari’s animals from place to place, laundering them into obscurity until they’re deposited with auctioneers, backyard hobbyists, or dealers… who [run] an exotic-animal hunting operation on [a] Texas ranch that boasts fifty species of game…” (Pg. x-xii)
He notes in the Introduction, “a pair of eight-month-old black bears… epitomized the allure of zoos. Animals in the wild may be threatened by hunters, poachers, disease, and starvation, but those in captivity have presumably been granted safe haven… the lives of zoo animals unfold daily in plain view, sometimes from birth. As a result, we develop relationships with zoo animals and care about their individual love.” (Pg. xiv) He continues, “hand-raised bears lack the skills required to live in the wild, so they can’t be released. Few animal sanctuaries have the space or facilities to properly take care of the bears. There is… no place for them., and that are of real worth only when disassembled: The skins are made into rugs. The claws become jewelry. The flesh is packaged for restaurants. The paws go to Asia, where they’re regarded as delicacies. And most valuable of all are the gall bladders, which can earn smugglers a few thousand dollars apiece.” (Pg. xv-xvi)
He goes on, “with the ever-growing demand for exotic animals… [sellers] are always in search of more inventory. And there’s plenty out there, compliments of an elaborate network of breeders, dealers, and middlemen, many with ties to roadside zoos, university research facilities, and even state wildlife agencies… dealers… clean the runny nose of the nation’s zoos.” (Pg. xxiii)
He laments, “captive-bred wildlife is by and large no one’s responsibility, no one’s jurisdiction, and really no one’s concern. As a result, the animals are part of an elaborate and sinister shell game, quietly shunted from place to place by those more interested in profits than protection of the species. But search through enough records… and much of the deception is ultimately revealed: you can uncover the laundering schemes, pinpoint the animals’ destinations, and document how the self-appointed guardians of exotic species are quietly in league with the most disreputable traffickers… you can understand how the federal, state, and local laws designed to protect wildlife are flawed, riddled with enough loopholes to permit those bent on exploiting the system to do so with virtual impunity. And you can gauge the consequences of society’s inattention to the scandals small and large, consequences that include the spread of diseases with potentially serious human repercussions.” (Pg. xxviii-xxix)
He explains, “Some of the surplus giraffes disposed of through these animal dealers end up at roadside menageries. Others end up at substandard overseas zoos or with eccentric collectors like pop star Michael Jackson. Still others are sold and resold, shunted through the exotic-animal netherworld until their fates are impossible to determine. Maybe they land at a game farm or a hunting ranch---in other words, on death row. Maybe they’re turned into animal feed, as some zookeepers privately suspect. Or maybe they’re the source of the giraffe loins and boneless cuts advertised by … exotic-meat purveyors… Happily for many zoo directors, tracking this sordid commerce via public records is often difficult, if not impossible. These zoo professionals are, after all, at the front end of an elaborate shell game…” (Pg. 12)
He deplores “self-proclaimed wildlife experts who have cashed on the public’s seemingly insatiable desire to see and learn about animals. Despite their lack of formal training or credentials, these so-called authorities---many of whom operate not-for-profit organizations---have managed to pawn themselves off as trusted sources of information, hoodwinking schools, community groups, and such respected media outlets as the Discovery Channel… these imposters come off as legitimate guardians of wildlife. What the public never sees are their citations for animal-welfare violations… their mistreatment of the very animals they claim to be saving.” (Pg. 20-21)
He notes, “many zoos treat their animals as little more than last season’s merchandise, slashing prices on unpopular or unwanted specimens much the way department stores mark down clothing.” (Pg. 47) He adds, “Besides, who could say whether it was in fact a particular zoo’s animal that landed at a canned hunt or in an auction ring? When animals are repeatedly sold, swapped, and shipped from one place to another, whey they’re moved through a system fraught with incomplete, even bogus, record-keeping and laundered like drug money, their origins soon impossible to pinpoint or verify. This gives all parties to the deal adequate cover.” (Pg. 49)
He recounts, “Slaughter is just one way that zoo animals die… Sometimes animals are bludgeoned to death by intruders or tortured and tortured and left to die… Sometimes … relatively harmless petting-zoo animals are shot by neighbors or passerby after they wander off the grounds.” (Pg. 51-52) Later, he adds, “many zoo animals are made to disappear. They’re first sent off to a dealer, conservation center, or wildlife propagator … In many instances, these animals are transferred elsewhere… Those third parties are then free to move the animals again… There is no paper trail to speak of…” (Pg. 83)
He reports, “The exotic-pet industry relies on a never-ending stream of new animals as a means of enticing those who have tired of their degu, tenrec, or whatever else is in vogue. In early 1995, the rage---albeit brief---was bats that dealers in the United States imported from the Middle East… Because the bats carry troublesome viruses, the CDC immediately limited ownership to diagnostic laboratories… and scientific researchers. With the bats banished, the fennec fox and … wallabies rose to newfound prominence.” (Pg. 105)
He points out, “Even if an undercover officer unearths evidence of wrongdoing, agencies must then deal with a judicial system that places wildlife crime far down on its scale of priorities. Most judges neither understand wildlife crime nor take it seriously; penalties are usually misdemeanors that bring jail time only to the worst of the worst… As a result, offenders escape with a paltry fine instead of a criminal record.” (Pg. 176)
He explains, “The primate trade… [is] a business filled with cruelties… Three- or four-year-old monkeys undergo dramatic personality changes… They become unruly and destructive… so their teeth are extracted… males are castrated and the females spayed… Others are tagged for disposal. But hand-reared monkeys lack survival skills, and therefore can’t be returned to the wild. Zoos don’t want them. Animal shelters aren’t equipped to keep them. Sanctuaries are overrun with others like them. In many instances, the only willing takers are the dealers who fuel the trade in infant monkeys… [who] sell them are year-olds to unsuspecting clients.” (Pg. 187)
He observes, “Renters vacate apartments and leave their exotic pets behind. Birds and reptiles are seized from people trying to smuggle them into the United States… big cats are abandoned at highway rest stops… Monkeys spill… out of universities and biomedical research labs. Pet owners lose interest in their animals… or can no longer afford the care…” (Pg. 233-234) He adds, “Sanctuaries are usually not licensed, regulated, or inspected… so their animals may be underfed, in need of medical attention… There’s also nothing to prohibit sanctuaries from dealing their animals to exotic-meat vendors, or pelting out animals… [or] even sell its rescued animals to operators of canned hunts.” (Pg. 238-239)
He concludes, “zoos will fight all attempts to make their affairs public and to change the way in which they do business. They will instead … regurgitate the undeniable proof of their value… Zoos helped save some animals from extinction… And, perhaps most important, zoos afford the public a connection with wildlife … that instills in many the desire to do more to help protect … all other species. If that’s true, then perhaps this stewardship should be extended to all captive animals…” (Pg. 260)
This book will be “must reading” for those concerned with animal welfare.
March 7, 2018
I would give Animal Underworld a rating of three out of five stars. This book that uncovers the dark stories of the trafficking of endangered animals. Exotic animals from the nation's most well known zoos disappear and wind up in roadside "zoos," canned hunts, crammed inside the backyards' of residents homes, and many other terrible situations. Green's book uncovers the tales of what happens to animals that end up in the black market. However, I could not find myself loving the book. At first the stories were horrific yet also intriguing, as I was really surprised with what terrible places animals can end up in. Unfortunately, over time the book just seemed to stretched out for chapter after chapter and reading it felt like a chore.
June 22, 2020
All I really have to say about this book is that it was written 21 years ago, and I hope a LOT has changed since then. Given that Doc Antle still remains in business, however, I have a hard time believing it has.
August 15, 2019
This book was really interesting to begin with but get very repetitive fast. It was also written in 1999 so I’m hopeful things have changed in the animal world but I’m not holding my breath,
April 17, 2020
Scum of the earth. Animal traders. People think zoos are good places. In most cases they are not. This book discovers for example what happens to old zoo animals no longer needed - they get traded to for example trophy hunting places. This is a hard subject, and very close to my heart. I‘m someone investigated the lowest of the low in the states. The legislation doesn‘t work, few seem to care. 4,5 stars
April 10, 2008
I am in awe of the vast amount of effort, energy, and determination the author applied in putting together this book. This is an incredible compilation and analysis of exotic animal transactions (both legal and, well, less so) primarily during the 80s and 90s. That is also the downside -- there is no rhyme or reason to the presentation of the cases, so it is still hard to trace individuals involved even within its pages (similar to the author's point of how impossible it is to track individual animals as they change hands).
There is some editorializing (which is good, otherwise it would simply be a recitation of health certificates) and there are times when I wonder how much is straight fact and how much is interpretation of what the wording of citation might mean. I do, however, admire his mostly even-handed dealing with the subject. This is no extremist animal-rights "free the ligers!" nonsense, but a well-researched attempt to bring a genuine issue to light. It's true that paper trails are easily lost, scattered, and forgotten, along with the animals they are supposed to track.
Being in the midst of it, I know that AZA zoos are far more responsible about where their animals go these days than they were 10 years ago when this book was written. It makes me very curious as to how (or whether) the private exotic sector has changed as well.
There is some editorializing (which is good, otherwise it would simply be a recitation of health certificates) and there are times when I wonder how much is straight fact and how much is interpretation of what the wording of citation might mean. I do, however, admire his mostly even-handed dealing with the subject. This is no extremist animal-rights "free the ligers!" nonsense, but a well-researched attempt to bring a genuine issue to light. It's true that paper trails are easily lost, scattered, and forgotten, along with the animals they are supposed to track.
Being in the midst of it, I know that AZA zoos are far more responsible about where their animals go these days than they were 10 years ago when this book was written. It makes me very curious as to how (or whether) the private exotic sector has changed as well.
February 17, 2010
I had seen this book in a library in MT ages ago and finally tracked it down. Initially, I was concerned because I thought it would be filled with anti-zoo sentiment, but was pleased to find that the author was a volunteer keeper with the National Zoo. So not anti-zoo, but definatly anti-zoo policy (which is justified). There were lots of stories about how zoos "dispose" of their unwanted animals, both old and young. So many that they blended together and each chapter was very similar to the last. Many of the stories were repeated over and over like a series in a newspaper (a pet peeve).
It definatly made me wonder about how zoos get and pass along their animals. It highlighted the weaknesses of current policy of exotic species law (sickening routine oversights and ridiculous loopholes). A reassessment of the current exotic species laws is definatly needed as well as zoo policies of animal disposal. I was left quite impressed with the author (obtaining these records, nevermind writing the book was quite a feat) but wanted to know more about the psychological state of these "collectors". Much of the focus was on mammals: ungulates, carnivores and primates, but I was interested in hearing abou birds and reptiles too. Overall, a really fascinating book.
It definatly made me wonder about how zoos get and pass along their animals. It highlighted the weaknesses of current policy of exotic species law (sickening routine oversights and ridiculous loopholes). A reassessment of the current exotic species laws is definatly needed as well as zoo policies of animal disposal. I was left quite impressed with the author (obtaining these records, nevermind writing the book was quite a feat) but wanted to know more about the psychological state of these "collectors". Much of the focus was on mammals: ungulates, carnivores and primates, but I was interested in hearing abou birds and reptiles too. Overall, a really fascinating book.
July 23, 2016
This was a pretty good book but it could have been better. It made great points and had some interesting revelations but it was so repetitive. It makes the same point over and over. Animals from zoos end up in the hands of brokers then either disappear or end up in canned hunts. I would love to have seen more concrete proof but it may not exist. This book was written in 1999 so I would love a follow up to see if anything has changed over 10 years later. It offers some good solutions though I don't think euthanasia is an appropriate choice. It treats the symptom (too many animals) not the cause (too much breeding). Read it then start asking questions. It is only the informed consumer that can bring about change. It also brings up a good point that the lobbies/lobbyists have too much power. They are only concerned with protecting the interests of a select group of people not the welfare of the animals or what the general population would want. Just my two cents worth. Read it then od something about it.
February 4, 2016
This is more of an in-between rating. I couldn't decide if I wanted to be generous and give it a three for a while, but I think ultimately my problem with it outweighs anything else.
The information collected in this book is vastly impressive, and you can tell just how much effort was put into documenting each and every aspect of phony animal 'sanctuaries', zoo practices, and more.
My one and major problem with "Animal Underworld" is that the information isn't told in a way that's engaging to the audience. It might as well be an extended fact sheet. At the midpoint even I started to get reader's fatigue over it. It's a lot like reading a bunch of scientific journals, interesting but you can only take in so much before your eyes start to seize up.
Despite that and despite my rating, I would recommend looking into it if you're really interested in just how illegal animal trading works. Just make sure not to try and take it all in at once.
The information collected in this book is vastly impressive, and you can tell just how much effort was put into documenting each and every aspect of phony animal 'sanctuaries', zoo practices, and more.
My one and major problem with "Animal Underworld" is that the information isn't told in a way that's engaging to the audience. It might as well be an extended fact sheet. At the midpoint even I started to get reader's fatigue over it. It's a lot like reading a bunch of scientific journals, interesting but you can only take in so much before your eyes start to seize up.
Despite that and despite my rating, I would recommend looking into it if you're really interested in just how illegal animal trading works. Just make sure not to try and take it all in at once.
January 15, 2011
This book reads at first much like a list of rules broken, animals traded into the wrong hands, etc. About 200 pages in, the author finds out how to write and tells the facts in a more interesting way. I wish he'd spent more time on possible solutions than a simple list of problems and zoos that trade to shady exotic animal dealers. Some of his stances are also unclear; he at first condemns the exotic animal meat trade and then suggests it later as a solution to the problem of excess zoo animals that would otherwise be traded into uncertain circumstances.
All in all, an eye-opener about the exotic animal trade, but lacking with regard to solutions and the morality of the situation.
All in all, an eye-opener about the exotic animal trade, but lacking with regard to solutions and the morality of the situation.
August 7, 2015
- I HAD NO IDEA!
- Behind the scenes at the local zoo, masked by the publicity campaign trumpeting the arrival of a new-born exotic animal (the public loves baby animals), no one questions the disappearance of that two-or-four-year-old tiger/giraffe/panther. This investigative work traces animals from reputable zoos to exotic meat suppliers; disreputable petting zoos; fly-by-night 'breeders' (with histories of animal cruelty charges)...and how about those "canned hunts". Yes, I thought it very depressing - but I'm glad that I read it.
- this is not a simple animal rights manifesto
- this is painstaking, even-handed investigative reporting
- Behind the scenes at the local zoo, masked by the publicity campaign trumpeting the arrival of a new-born exotic animal (the public loves baby animals), no one questions the disappearance of that two-or-four-year-old tiger/giraffe/panther. This investigative work traces animals from reputable zoos to exotic meat suppliers; disreputable petting zoos; fly-by-night 'breeders' (with histories of animal cruelty charges)...and how about those "canned hunts". Yes, I thought it very depressing - but I'm glad that I read it.
- this is not a simple animal rights manifesto
- this is painstaking, even-handed investigative reporting
August 18, 2013
Chilling. I'll never look at zoos the same way again.
With that said, the prose is a bit purple. Positioned as an investigative work, it some times reads as if the author has an axe to grind. I do not doubt the accuracy of the information presented, but feel a more neutral tone would make the book more effective as a tool for change.
With that said, the prose is a bit purple. Positioned as an investigative work, it some times reads as if the author has an axe to grind. I do not doubt the accuracy of the information presented, but feel a more neutral tone would make the book more effective as a tool for change.
May 30, 2015
The only frustration I had with this book, was that, although it was VERY well researched and written, Mr Green used a lot of blanket statements. Altogether, though, it was a fascinating and well documented trail of the corruption that can often be found in the heart of zoos, animal ranches, and private owners when they cross the line into animal smuggling.
March 19, 2018
I really liked the book, it was very entertaning and funny at somepoints. This book is definatly 5 stars. Its also not like any other book. This book has differentt stories that add upp in the book which all relates to one big story. If your planing to read this book be prepared for all different types of story, I reccomend you should read this book especially if your in to animals or Zoology.
July 23, 2009
Lots of interesting facts, but after a while it became very repetitive and mundane. The author began to reiterate the same things, listing so many people it was hard to keep track of and almost instilled a sense that all zoos are not to be trusted.
April 7, 2017
With support from the Center for Public Integrity and courageous and key funding from the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, journalist Alan Green takes u son a repellant sojourn through the market for exotic animals in the United States. Illegally imported, illegaly taken from the wild, or (too often) cast off by prestigious zoos, they end up as a parts of canned hunts, neglected pets, auction fare for zoo-like roadside attractions or animal processors. The wearying and detailed litany of cases build a case that our nation's zoo's catering to patron desire for child animals creates a surplus of adolescent and adult creatures that move from world-class facilities to the lower circles of animal hell.
Mahatma Gandhi — 'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.'
[See the review on the U of M site.]
Mahatma Gandhi — 'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.'
[See the review on the U of M site.]
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September 19, 2017333.95 GRE
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