Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (May 27, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1559635320
ASIN: B001714ZYI
Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine, Island Press 2005
Ellis, a superb and prolific science writer, is an authority on marine life, which, as he documents so precisely in The Empty Ocean (2003), is in precipitous decline. He now presents a disturbing account of impending extinctions on land because of the ever-growing demand for animal parts, especially those of tigers and rhinos, by practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. So many human-generated forces, from habitat destruction to pollution, are killing off species, it's especially bitter to see a venerable 3,000-year-old medical practice contributing to the catastrophe. Especially since, as Ellis reveals in this carefully researched report, many of the current claims associated with the medicinal value of tiger bones, rhino horn, and bear bile are spurious. But reality hasn't stopped the rising demand for these illegal substances, and as the populations of endangered animals rapidly decline, the profits to be made by poachers and smugglers rise. It's a complicated and urgent situation, and Ellis' meticulous and balanced report reveals the need for increased wildlife protection and a renewed assault on the trafficking in animal parts. –Booklist
