Tiger Bone & Rhino Horn: The Destruction of Wildlife for Traditional Chinese Medicine Hardcover – Illustrated, May 27, 2005

Growing up in the Chinese culture, I was taught to be proud of everything in my culture and history. I was then and always have been... until I read this book. I have encountered the occasional rhino horn or tiger claw when visiting family and friends in East Asia, but the full impact of this "industry" only dawned on me after reading this book. The author, Richard Ellis, is a famed naturalist and author of books about our natural world, past and present. I have read other works by Dr. Ellis before, but this is the first that really brought home the impact that humans have on their surroundings.Basically, the book examines the international trade in rare animal parts for medicinal purposes. These rare animals include various species of big cats, rhinos and other large mammals. The parts that are traded literally cover the entire animal, from the sexual organs to the bile, claws, horns, teeth, fur, eyes, etc. Though the book title specifies Chinese medicine, the destination for these animal parts also include Korea, Japan and other cultures around the Pacific Rim. The overall effect of this trade is the systematic destruction of several dozen species of mammals through illegal hunting, poisoning, and even the use of landmines! Poverty, or more specifically, income inequality drives the trade. The final destination of the animal parts are usually wealthy businessmen around the world. The suppliers are the poorest villagers in the Third World who do the hunting, trapping, and smuggling across borders.The book does end on a good note as the author talks about the rising replacement of the rare animal parts with synthetics that are mass produced at a fraction of the price of the natural goods.

This is a pretty decent book. It's very informative. I learned a lot I didn't know about the wildlife trade.It just seems like this book could have been edited a lot better. Some chapters are pretty gripping; others feel overly long and detailed. I particularly struggled through the rhino horn chapter. Ellis sometimes delves too deeply into the historical significance of animal symbols and he gets a bit too tangential in certain parts.The other way it could be improved is to add some more emotional punch to some chapters. Ellis is a journalist and he tries to mostly remain objective throughout, refusing to outwardly condemn Traditional Chinese Medicine and much of its ludicrous claims. Toward the end of the book, Ellis finally reveals his views on preserving endangered species. It's clear he is more toward the conservationist standpoint (similar to E.O. Wilson) rather than the welfarist standpoint (though he does have some sympathies at least toward the bears used for TCM). Despite the fact he's done an awful lot of research and cares deeply for the subject, his writing is mostly detached through much of the book. I believe that had he decided to interject his opinions more vocally, the book would have been a lot more enjoyable.I think the book is still worth reading despite being some slow chapters. You will learn a lot about wildlife trafficking, some of the proposed solutions to helping animals, and at the very least see the dire straits of the animals drawn to the brink of extinction.

There are no "important" ingredients of any kind within the field of Traditional Chinese herbal medicine that are of animal origin. There are only about 20 animal substances found in the Chinese materia medica, out of approximately 450 more commonly used substances. Such books paint a VERY unrealistic and derogatory view of a powerful and effective medicine, that is TCM. I have been practicing Traditional Chinese herbal medicine daily for nearly fifteen years, and have never once used (or come across anyone else using) a single endangered species ingredient. I do applaud any efforts towards conservation of nature. Now, to correct the various ignorant reviewers, let me explain the actual situation. It is the most uneducated and superstitious blue-color Chinese who purchase such animal products absolutely OUTSIDE of the advice of a TCM doctor. Therefore, do not blame TCM for something that is entirely a Chinese social problem and not a classical medical problem. Superstition is the enemy here, not Traditional Chinese Medicine.