Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-268) and index.
"In Animal Underworld, Alan Green and The Center for Public Integrity offer the definitive expose of the sleazy, sometimes illegal trade in exotic - even endangered - species. The book takes us to exotic-animal auctions, where the anonymous high bidders are often notorious dealers, hunting-ranch proprietors, and profit-minded charlatans masquerading as conservationists. We peer inside research laboratories operated by some of the nation's most prestigious universities, which launder diseased monkeys though the same network of breeders and dealers until they finally reach the homes of unsuspecting pet owners. In case after case, Animal Underworld documents exactly what happens after zoos and theme parks unload their "surplus" animals on secretive middlemen who redirect them into the private pet trade. And the book shines an unwanted spotlight on those who profit by exploiting loopholes in the law or by ignoring the law altogether."--Jacket.