Wildlife Special Agent: Protecting Endangered Species (Risky Business (Woodbridge, Conn.).)

Features

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Published by: Blackbirch Press
• Edition: 1st Edition September 1996
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 1567111602
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-1567111606
• Book Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches
• Weighs: 10.4 ounces

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5. Part of a series that profiles people with careers that might be considered dangerous, this book looks at the division of Law Enforcement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It begins with the arrest of a man smuggling illegal rhinoceros horns into the country and then introduces the agent responsible for that arrest. Information is given about the official's different assignments, with particular emphasis on those cases relating to the protection of endangered species, including setting up sting operations to curtail the trafficking of illegal wildlife products. Although the primary focus is on one individual and his work, the book also serves as a good introduction to a part of the government that will be unfamiliar to young readers. In addition to describing an agent's duties, Ricciuti discusses the training process (including how to differentiate between legal and illegal crocodile skins) that is required in order to join the agency. The text is clearly written and informative. Full-color photographs appear on almost every page and further serve to illuminate the topic. An interesting look at an unfamiliar occupation that should fascinate both browsers and those searching for an offbeat report topic.?Arwen Marshall, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Ricciuti (see review, above) turns in an entry in the Risky Business series that is subtitled ``Protecting Endangered Species,'' about Richard Moulton, a man on the brink of arresting a criminal who is selling animal skins, horns, and tusks. It is all a part of his job as Special Agent for the Division of Law Enforcement of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Full-color photographs--with a grainy, snapshot quality and lacking any drama--show Moulton dressed in camouflage, pretending to be a hunter, and on the phone, ostensibly setting up a deal with poachers. It may be Moulton's mild-mannered quotes and looks--a middle-aged man with a Captain Kangaroo moustache, striped dress shirt, and tie--or it may be that the author cannot pump sufficient drama into the subject, but readers may not fully understand the risks in this business. They also may not comprehend how seizing the snow leopard pelts in the US affects those engaged in illegal hunting abroad--the economic and other deterrents are never explained. (further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.