My Wild Life: The Story of a Most Unlikely Animal Rescuer

The true, heartwarming story of how a reluctant city trader left a life of champagne and bonuses to follow his dream of rescuing animals and setting up a wildlife sanctuary. Simon Cowell always wanted to be a vet. Instead, he ended up as a wealthy commodities trader. But with a love of nature and animals, he could never quite subscribe to the "greed is good" mantra which rung out through the trading halls of the city of London. While his colleagues quaffed champagne and blew their bonuses on designer gear, Simon set up a wildlife sanctuary in the grounds of his stockbroker belt home. At 42, having suffered two nervous breakdowns, he finally left his job. That’s when his life began. Wild Life is the story of his remarkable journey from reluctant city swinger to environmental crusader, meeting some of the some of the cute and cuddly creatures that have touched his heart along the way. Often hilarious, sometimes harrowing, and always insightful, Simon’s story is one man’s life-long mission to redress the damage man has done to the environment—with boozing, a divorce, and some bad behavior along the way.

Simon Cowell ran a wildlife rescue center in the grounds of his Surrey home, eventually leaving his job in the city to devote himself to his charity, Wildlife Aid, full time. He presented, wrote, and produced Channel 5’s Wildlife SOS for 17 years and is now a sought-after wildlife expert, public speaker, and commentator. In 2005 he was awarded an MBE for services to wildlife.