| A little about me |
| My name is Dan. I am a retired US Marine with over 20 years in service. In 1995 I was forced to retire due to medical problems which left me 100% disabled. My wonderful wife of 30 years and I, decided to retire here in the Philippines and make it our home. I have no formal college degree, lots of credits but no degree, and a lot of time in the school of life. After we retired here, I was getting bored and decided to raise button quail and African Luv Birds for a hobby to keep me busy. A friend told me of a place that sold birds cheap in Manila so I decided to check it out. When I got to the place, I was in awe! There before me were hundreds if not thousands of wild birds kept in the most disgusting and abusive manner you could ever try to imagine. Upon walking into one stall, a lady ask if I wanted to buy an eagle. Out of curiosity I told her to let me see. She reached up into a dark corner and brought down a cage from off the shelf about 6 feet off the ground. There in a cage barely big enough for one; was two Brahminy Kites. Their feathers were mangled, talons ripped out and missing, skinny, malnourished, and covered in blood and filth. They just sat there in the cage with their heads hung in defeat as if just waiting their time. I do not make it a point to buy captured wildlife as it only proliferates the trade, however, there was still a glimmer in their eyes and I decided that if they were going to die, then they would die happy. That was my first so called rescue. I took them home, deloused them, tended their wounds and fed them. Eventually a large flight cage was built for them to fly around in. After 2 years of hard work and effort, their talons grew back, they became healthy, and learned to eat on their own. They became somewhat of a pair, one swooping down from his perch to flush a quail, and the other coming right in behind him grabbing the prey in mid-air. On October 2005, these two magnificent creatures were given their freedom atop Mount Samat in a ceremony declaring the entire Province of Bataan a Bird Sanctuary. To this day I can drive up there and see them flying free as they should be. There is no greater feeling in the world than to put all that hard work and effort into a rescued bird and then seeing it ride the thermals once again, screeching loudly as if to say "FREE AT LAST". I have no other experience with wildlife except what I have gained here in the last 5 years. I have learned what to look for in a sick bird, have observed many of their traits and characteristics. I have learned how to treat many of the injuries, give injections etc. Since the start of our little endeavor here, we have released many animals back to the wild. We have educated many people in the area of preserving precious endemic wildlife, and now have people turning them over to us instead of trying to sell them for personal gain. I have no idea where this quest I have set upon will take me, but I do know we are making a difference and have big plans for the future. Thank you for visiting our site, hope you enjoy. Dannie R Brimmer GySgt USMC (RET) Director/Founder Casper and Friends Aviary DENR Accredited Wildlife Rescue |
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