In fact, John Oates is so mad he decided to write a book to call attention to what he sees as misguided and failed conservation strategies by international conservation organizations and national governments. Since before 1960, wildlife biologists have been calling attention to the fate of Africa's mammals in an attempt to raise awareness and secure protection for these mammals from extirpation. Out of these early efforts were born some of the first formal conservation efforts on the African continent and, to some degree, wildlife conservation organizations. John Oates' career as a primatologist coincides with the rise of well-known conservation organizations and high profile conservationists. Oates is not just a Forrest Gump of conservation who has happened to meet famous conservationists.
Oates is one of the most well respected primatologists currently working in tropical Africa.
While he has worked primarily as an academic studying primates, he has provided conservation organizations with advice informed by three decades' fieldwork experience. For this reason, conservationists and policy makers on both sides of the conservation policy debate should take a careful look at this book. Oates begins with his early childhood experiences and moves quickly to his early trips to Africa. These early descriptions prove interesting in that they allow the reader to familiarize themselves with someone who is not well known outside academic circles and to convince them that conservation has been a life long commitment. The early descriptions of his work also depict someone who has tended towards the small, modest, and biologically grounded approach to conservation.