The Lizard King by Bryan Christy – Book Review
True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers
Jun 16, 2009
In his excellent book, The Lizard King, Bryan Christy gives the reader an inside view of the reptile trade and the efforts of law enforcement to keep it legitimate. Spanning time from the 50's, when the wildlife trade was virtually unregulated, to the early 2000's (when things get better), Christy makes it seem as if he was actually there for the portrayed events.
With an early interest in reptiles as inspiration, the author embarks on a journey into the world of top reptile smugglers and the officers of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who are tasked with stopping them. Through interviews with the actual people involved (some from within prison), Christy gets us as close to the action as anyone could.
Reptile Traffickers
Ray and Michael Van Nostrand grew up as reptile hunters. Ray captured and sold 10,000 animals while still a teenager. There was money to be made and he made it—lot's of it. Eventually he passed his business on to his son Mike who continued in his footsteps, seemingly unwillingly at first. A few other important players in animal smuggling are mentioned—Malaysia-based Anson Wong, the notorious "king" of the international wildlife trade being one—but it's the Van Nostrands that are the focus of the book.
Although most reptiles available in U.S. pet shops are now of legal origin, it wasn't always that way. The Van Nostrands worked their way up until they founded Strictly Reptiles to provide just about anything a collector wanted. Endangered or not, it didn't matter. If someone brought in a suitcase full of tortoises from Asia, and didn't say anything other than how much they wanted for them—sold.
Christy's research is impressive and the lives of the Van Nostrands are biographical, almost as if Ray and Mike wrote their own stories. To the Van Nostrands (and others in the trade), animals were a commodity, their beauty and rarity only representative of how much they were worth. Thousands of animals died, but that was irrelevant to them. The deals made with reptile hunters, corrupt officials, and facilitating lawyers are all exposed, and it makes for fascinating reading.
Reptile Good Guys
The officers who work from tiny offices with minimal budgets to investigate and prosecute wildlife crimes are the true heroes of the story. Chip Bepler spent five years investigating the Van Nostrands. Enforcement of wildlife protection laws has always been weak. In a world of limited resources, prosecutors generally don't want to spend time on animal smuggling cases.
Reptile smugglers often have lot's of money for good lawyers and the penalties if convicted were small back when the Van Nostrands were getting started. Animal smuggling has a lot in common with the drug trade, and there is some overlap between the two. In animal smuggling, the profits are good and the risk of being shot or sent up for a long prison term are minimal (although not zero). Enforcement requires dedication and Bepler had it.
Bepler and his colleagues stick with it, but it's not entirely a happy ending. Animal lovers will find The Lizard King a tough read in some places. There is a plot twist so masterfully executed that it would be the envy of any mystery writer. Stick with The Lizard King; it's worth it.
References
The Lizard King, Bryan Christy, 2008, Hachette Book Group, NY, ISBN-10 0-446-58095-3, ISBN-13 978-0-446-58095-3
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