conservationists vs soldiers

In the chapter “Rare or Medium Rare?”, Adams describes the obsessive passion of the conservationists of Mauritius in the terms of war. These people, who are described as “passionately obsessed”, are described this way because they love the animals so much. They connect it to the terms of war when they say they are “They loved them with an extraordinary fervour, and had devoted their entire adult lives to working in the field, often in awful conditions and on horribly low budgets, to save rare birds, and the environments they live in, from extinction.” They make this connection saying it is like war because people who fight in a war have to love what they are doing. The conservationists love the work that they do as well because a person who would not like this field of work would never go into this work.
The connections these two work fields have in common vary. They both require long hours of hard work. They both require being away from their family. They both earn horribly low budgets for the work they do. The environments each of these people work in are very extreme and extremely dangerous at different times.
The effects this comment may have on a reader include more respect for soldiers, if they are more educated about the conservationists of Mauritius. On the other side of this, a person may have more respect for the conservationists of Mauritius if they are more educated about the soldiers that fight in war. The persons respect for the conservationists or the soldiers increased because they realize how much hard work, total dedication, and love for the activity is needed.
In conclusion, the reason Adams described the obsessive passion of the conservationists of Mauritius the way he does is because he is trying to make a point that both are hard fields of work and they both require a love for the job they have.