The Dragon Behind the Glass
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15
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"A journalist's quest to find a wild Asian arowana--the world's most expensive aquarium fish--takes her on a global tour through the bizarre realm of ornamental fish hobbyists to some of the most remote jungles on the planet."--Dust jacket.
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Though this book, as I mentioned earlier, covers a vast array of topics, it is these threads focusing on conservation and the Asian pet trade that I find most interesting ??? and also disturbing. Over and over again, it is demand from wealthier countries (China, in particular) that drives the sinister engines of the illegal pet trade. Borders are immensely porous, especially in Southeast Asia, and many poorer countries might be more than willing to sacrifice their rights to important biological hotspots in exchange for a cash boost from a wealthy neighbour, thus implicitly legalising any otherwise-illegal trade in endangered species. Even supposedly squeaky-clean Singapore, with its reputation as one of the least corrupt countries in the world (per Transparency International), does not escape the taint of the illegal pet trade, particularly when it comes to fish.
Full review here: http://wp.me/p21txV-x2
