In 1989 Leakey became the head of Kenya's Wildlife Department, which put him in charge of saving elephants from the poaching that threatened them with extinction. Here he explains the murderous business of poaching, the problems facing the Department and his clashes with vested interests and politicians.
Richard Leakey has written several books on the origin of mankind. His previous autobiography One Life (1983) was published before his involvement in Kenya's wildlife and its politics. He lives in Nairobi with his wife Maeve, who continues to work as a paleontologist.