Journalist Rachel Nuwer plunges the reader into the underground of illegal wildlife trade: to killing fields in Africa, traditional medicine black markets in China, and wild meat restaurants in Vietnam. Through exhaustive first-hand reporting that took her to a dozen countries, Nuwer explores the forces currently driving demand for animals and their parts; the toll that demand is extracting on species across the planet; and the conservationists, rangers, and activists who believe it is not too late to stop the impending extinctions. More than a depressing list of statistics, Poached is the story of the people who believe this is a battle that can be won, that our animals are not beyond salvation. 

First place winner - American Society of Journalists and Authors general non-fiction category. Gold winner - Nautilus Book Awards journalism and investigative reporting category. Winner for the Santa Monica Public Library Green Prize for Sustainable Literature.

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"Poaching has reached crisis proportions, and Rachel Nuwer pursues this story to places few journalists go. The result is a vivid and urgent book." -- Elizabeth Kolbert, author of The Sixth Extinction

"A revelation of a book: Rachel Nuwer pulls back the curtain of dry statistics to reveal the illegal and sordid world of wildlife trafficking as well as the valiant efforts to stem the tide. A firsthand account that is hard to put down."  -- Thomas E. Lovejoy, George Mason University

"Our planet's most iconic species - particularly African elephants - are facing devastating declines because of poaching. This is an important book that should inspire all of us to action." -- Paul G. Allen, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist

Bonus Chapters