This month’s book is The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World’s Greatest Reptile Smugglers by Bryan Christy.

Book Summary: The Lizard King takes the reader on a thrilling journey into the heart of the reptile smuggling world.

Infamous animal trafficker Anson Wong – who was recently arrested in Malaysia – is just one of the real-life villains portrayed in this shocking organized crime exposé.

The book chronicles the intimate details of U.S. federal agent Chip Bepler’s global pursuit to track down and convict the kingpins of the world’s most notorious reptile trafficking syndicates.

Fighting an uphill battle against the traffickers’ exploitation of legal trade loopholes and forged paperwork, Agent Bepler is also at odds with a court system that seems at times to have little sympathy for the helpless, scaly victims of this organized crime subculture.

Why this book is important: The Lizard King is the ultimate example of how legal trade in rare and endangered species actually serves as a smokescreen for illegal trafficking.

Time and again throughout this book, we are shown the tricks and schemes that wildlife smugglers use to launder their illegal wares. The laws and systems designed to protect threatened species are tragically exploited, as customs agents and wildlife authorities at every level are corrupted by the lucrative rewards of illegal wildlife trade.

However, the book also tells an unforgettable story of determination and triumph – offering hope and heroes when we need them most.

Quotable moment:

Wildlife dealers, zoos, and museums all over the world knew that if they could pay for it, Anson [Wong] could get it for them. Africa, South America – it didn’t matter. Wong could get anything: snow leopard pelts, panda skins, rhino horns. He had operations in Vietnam. He raised tigers to be stuffed and sold as trophies.

Where to purchase The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World’s Greatest Reptile Smugglers

You can purchase The Lizard King: The True Crimes and Passions of the World’s Greatest Reptile Smugglers online at Amazon.com.

Learn more about The Lizard King

To learn more:

• Bryan Christy’s website: thelizardkingbook.com
• National Geographic: The Kingpin
• Anson Wong’s arrest: No Perhilitan Protection for Lizard King

Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. Besides writing Rhino Horn is Not Medicine, I am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, the Editor of Project Pangolin, and a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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