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Mark Simmons

Mark Simmons

About

Mark Simmons grew up in a Northern Virginia farm community where, at an early age, his father taught him that stewardship of wild and domestic animals requires lifelong responsibility and commitment.

At the age of eighteen, Mark had his first encounter with whales and dolphins at SeaWorld in Orlando which led him to a ten year career in animal behavior there, working mostly with killer whales.

By 1998, he founded a marine life protection group, Wildlife International Network, with former boss and close friend, Robin Friday. In April 1999, Simmons joined the Keiko Release Project as the Director of Animal Husbandry and led the Behavior Team onsite in Iceland. There he authored and applied the behavioral protocols for reintroduction that gained approval from the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries for Keiko’s formal release.

Friday and Simmons went on to create Ocean Embassy, whereby their team assists governments on protective marine legislation, conducts extensive field work with marine mammals and helps rescue stranded animals. He created and continues to provide visionary leadership of a large scale research & conservation database called OERCA that serves global wildlife management needs. Simmons has taught marine mammal behavioral science at the University of Miami and conducted numerous seminars and lectures on the Keiko Release Project. He currently serves as a board member for Embassy Blue Institute and the Marine Mammal Conservancy, both non-profit organizations with the mission to protect marine life.

When not traveling, Simmons spends his time with his wife and two daughters at their home in Orlando, Florida. He has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. He is an avid cyclist and dabbles in art and woodwork. Mark is also a generous patron of local coffee shops when engaged in the fine art of writing.

New Alpha Rising: Ascension Part I

New Alpha Rising: Ascension Part I

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<p>Countless years ago, measured in thousands, the Gods came first. Monstrous creations were born of their frivolity. Like the Gods, some of the creations were peaceful, others not. Their duty to preserve the earth completed once more, however, the day came that the Gods had to leave earth. Unleashed and with loose regulation, the abominable creations left behind multiplied. In their midst, another conception came to be, and his kind would exist absolutely outside of the God’s purview.<br />Unmated, alone, and untrusting of others, Chatran was charged to go to a place and protect the father of a great child, yet unborn. This duty, however, was unknown to the most cognizant part of Chatran. Only the Beast, who resided within him, knew. As a result, the Beast led Chatran to Walhalla, North Dakota. Although his initial charge was to protect the father he found there, Chatran also gained a mate and Pack. With them, Chatran also found a new way forward, and started on a course that would lead to – New Alpha Rising: Ascension.</p>

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Reviews

<div> <p>“Among the misinformation and cacophony regarding the public display and release of whales and dolphins, animal behavior and marine mammal expert, Mark Simmons, provides a compassionate and deeply challenging account of the failed experiment to release a killer whale named Keiko. In <em>Killing Keiko</em>, Mr. Simmons sets the record straight and details why the unfortunate star of <em>Free Willy</em> was not ultimately a release candidate and why human agendas led to his death. This engaging, well-written and timely book is a sobering reminder that our human compassion for animals is not always well-conceived and that we need to better understand what our actions actually mean for such animals as opposed to what they mean for ourselves. A must-read for every animal lover out there…”</p> <p><span style="line-height:1.6em;">Gregory D. Bossart, V.M.D., Ph.D., Diplomate, European College of Zoological Medicine (Wildlife Population Health), Senior Vice President of Animal Health, Research and Conservation, Georgia Aquarium</span></p> </div>