Hunter Warren

On page 183, Adams describes the obsessive passion of the conservationists of Mauritius in the terms of war. What is the potential effect on the reader? Why does Adams do this?

Rare, or medium rare? In the first few pages of this chapter, one may see the conservationists as extremely over the top. In reality, they are no crazier than a person that is passionate about a sport they love. They simply care about what they are trying to fix, and poor pay and nasty outdoor conditions aren't going to stop them. Because of this, it is easy to see the dedication behind these conservationists. In the beginning of the chapter, Adams plays Richard off to be some crazy moron that shouldn't even be driving a land rover. As a matter of fact, he says Richard is so crazy that he finds the owner of the car crazy in letting Richard borrow the car. Although Richard may be a "crazy" man, his dedication to helping animals is nothing short of amazing and necessary. Richard and I have some ideas of conservation in common. When I think about the planet I wonder what it will look like in forty years if I don't do something about it now. Whenever I can recycle, I recycle. Whenever I am not using a light, I turn the light off. You get the idea. Where I am conserving the planet's aesthetics and functions, the conservationists in this chapter are conserving the planet's kingdom of animals.

Adams describes the obsessive passion of the conservationists of Mauritius in terms of war. Although the problems of extinction are going to come, the conservationists in this novel do whatever they can to help revive the lives lost. Although the outdoors is at war due to animals being at the verge of extinction, the conservationists "make treaties" within nature to help ward off this "war of extinction" the best they can. The reason for Adams making the conservationists seem crazy is to show the readers how dedicated and motivated they are to solving the problems of extinction. If Adams made the characters "normal", the reader may think they are simply doing their job instead of going above and beyond what they have to do. Because the characters in this passage are so determined to fulfill their duties, it is possible that the reader may be encouraged to work harder and create higher goals in their own line of work or interest. Adams does an excellent job in securing within the reader that the conservationists in the novel do every damn thing they can to help save the jungle!

I have a great example as to why conservation is important! At my hunting camp you can't shoot a deer unless it has a rack of eight points or bigger. What if I wasn't a conservationist in regards to this belief? Most likely the bucks on my land would have small, inconsistent racks. This would disrupt the genetics of the deer on my hunting land, and the hunting wouldn't be very enjoyable. Whether you are building up the gene pool in a species or saving it from extinction, conservation is a key element to success.