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.
<p><font color="#000000" face="verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><span style="line-height:normal;">An Amazon #1 bestseller with 50+ glowing reviews. </span></font></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;">Available in Kindle and print.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;">From the very start of her faith autobiography, ‘She Does Not Fear the Snow’, author Bobbie Ann Cole reaches out across the page and endears herself to her reader. You will very quickly feel that you know her, and will be richer for the knowledge. </span></p><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:normal;height:auto;"><div>She comes to Israel, seeking meaning and purpose for her life, following breast cancer and the demise of her long-standing marriage. There, God claims her and lays a trail of miracles that lead her from her native England to a new husband of faith in Atlantic Canada. <br />Though she is upfront about her ending, you’ll find yourself longing to learn the next step in her discovery of new love and deeper faith journey. This is one of those books you just can’t put down. Potentially, you’ll be following the twists and turns of her journey into the wee small hours. <br />‘A mysterious rug with a life-changing message, a Ruth-type love story, fascinating interactions with other believers, poetic descriptions of landscapes many native Canadians take for granted—and a message of God’s love and salvation,’ writes critic Margaret Welwood. ‘Bobbie Ann Cole’s story is a little too strange and untidy to be fiction. As a true story, it will leave you satisfied, yet wanting to know more.’ <br />‘Often times, life will take us to the end of our rope, leaving us helpless and at our wit’s end. Yet, even in such dire situations, our God is not helpless. He will bring in plentiful harvest – a harvest of renewal, hope, joy and happiness in our life,’ says Khamneithang Vaiphei. ‘She Does Not Fear the Snow is an incredible testimony that will have a profound impact on you.’ <br />If mystery, romance, women’s faith issues, the Jewish roots of Christianity, Christian living or outreach appeal to you, you will find much to enjoy.</div><div> </div></div>
<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>