D’Bone Collector Museum turns two

“I have bones and skeletons of animals not only from the tropical rainforests, but also coming from the seas and oceans,” said Darrell Dean Blatchley during a tour around D’Bone Collector Museum on Saturday, January 25. This date marks the museum's second anniversary.



With over 500 specimens, the museum has one of the largest collections of bones, skulls, and skeletons in the Philippines. Blatchley is the president and curator of the museum, which is considered the first of its kind in Davao City, if not the whole of Mindanao.

“The mission of the museum is to educate, with the goal that the bones will serve as ambassadors of the living,” said Blatchley.

A fondness for bones

Since the museum opened, it has seen more than 20,000 visitors—and not only locals, too. There have been museum-goers hailing from Europe, the United States, other parts of Asia, and the Middle East.

“The museum is adding the already good ecotourism image of Davao City and the Philippines,” Blatchley said.

D'Bone Collector's star attraction is the 41-foot sperm whale skeleton, one of four known, fully-assembled sperm whales in the Philippines. There are less than 50 such assembled skeletons around the world.



“The Philippines is home to 27 species of whales and dolphins,” Blatchley explained. “Worldwide, there are 83 species. This museum has 13 species and 27 specimens.”

That said, Blatchley's collections also originated from the United States, Canada, some parts of Russia, Thailand, and Indonesia.

He shared that the museum works in tandem with the local government units and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources “to educate the public on the animals that are found not just in the Philippines, but from around the world.”

He was quick to add that “We do not purchase native animals for several reasons. [Firstly,] it is illegal. Also, most of them are endangered. If we purchase native animals, it may encourage more ‘deaths’ of the endangered species.”
 
D'Bone Collector adds one or two specimens a week to its already sizeable collection. The museum is open from Mondays to Fridays. Entrance fee is P50 for adults and P40 for children and students. — VC, GMA News