Richard Ellis is the author of 15 books, including The Book of Whales, Monsters of the Sea, Book of Sharks, Imagining Atlantis, The Search for the Giant Squid, Aquagenesis, and The Empty Ocean. A research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and a contributor to many magazines, Ellis is also a celebrated artist. His paintings and drawings of marine life have been exhibited in museums around the world.
In parts of Korea and China, moon bears, black but for the crescent-shaped patch of white on their chests, are captured in the wild and brought to "bear farms" where they are imprisoned in squeeze cages, and a steel catheter is inserted into their gall bladders. The dripping bile is collected as a cure for ailments ranging from an upset stomach to skin burns. The bear may live as long as fifteen years in this state. Rhinos are being illegally poached for their horns, as are tigers for their bones, thought to improve virility.
In The Empty Ocean, acclaimed author and artist Richard Ellis tells the story of our continued plunder of life in the sea and weighs the chances for its recovery.