Forbidden Creatures chronicles Laufer's worldwide quest to penetrate the underworld network of hunters, traders, and customers who constitute the nefarious business of animal smuggling.

What animals are being smuggled, from where and how--and why do so many people keep illicit, dangerous pets? On the heels of his acclaimed The Dangerous World of Butterflies, investigative journalist Peter Laufer exposes the underworld of international animal smuggling and the network of hunters, traders, breeders, and customers who constitute this nefarious business. Taking readers to exotic and often lawless locales, he introduces us to people whose greed and mindless self-interest perpetuate what is now a crisis of survival for a growing number of wild species. Woven throughout with riveting stories from law enforcement officials and federal prosecutors, Forbidden Creatures looks at what kinds of animals are being smuggled, from where and why, and who is buying the big cats, long snakes, and great apes that may live in a neighborhood like yours.