HERPETOLOGY & PET TRADE

Abstract

Stolen World: A Tale of Reptiles, Smugglers, and Skulduggery . By Jennie Erin Smith . 2011. Crown Publishers, New York; available from Herp Digest. (ISBN 9780307381477). 336 pp. $25. They were all born a generation late. Growing up reading Frank Buck's Bring 'em Back Alive and Ray Ditmars's Thrills of a Naturalist's Quest was inspiring to teenagers of the 1950s, but the world had changed by the time they became young adults. There were few remaining unexplored corners of the world, and adventures became more focused on scientific quests – academic team efforts supported by grants with specific missions. The world of individual freelance adventure had become tamed by quick and efficient international travel and TV documentaries, and collecting animals was now cumbersome, what with the need for permits and a fast growing list of totally protected species. What's an adventurous herpetologist wannabe going to do? Seek adventure of course; there were still places to go, and rare reptiles to acquire, while the growing number of international laws to bypass made the task even more exciting. In the process of protecting various species from commercial exploitation, their retail values increased exponentially. The quests continue, perhaps no longer for fame and glory, but the next best thing – the fun of lawless adventure and cash. Welcome to the worlds of Hank Molt, Tom Chrutchfield, and Anson Wong, reptile smugglers extraordinaire. Smith's book recounts a series of interwoven stories of their lives, spanning half a century of scams and other global misadventures. The illicit reptile hunters become the hunted as wildlife agents try to crack down on the smuggling rings, yet even after terms of imprisonment and financial ruin the tales of recurring deviant behavior continue. This book is a tour of the dark side of the convoluted exotic pet industry. These individuals, each with unique aberrant personalities, are constantly scheming, while stabbing each other in the back, and coining nonsensical lines like Conservation through commercialization. Molt and Crutchfield strive for …