How a hunting boom left the Amazon Basin with 'empty rivers'
Monday, October 17, 2016 - 05:31
in Paleontology & Archaeology
The fashion for wild animal skins and furs drove a hunting boom in the Amazon basin through the 20th century. A mass industry sprung up almost overnight and the hides of otters, jaguars or alligator-like caimans were soon being shipped round the world to be turned into coats, hats or accessories. The Amazon rainforest, and the animals that live there, are still feeling the impact today.