D’ Bone Collector Museum is a first in Mindanao and a one of a kind museum in the Philippines. It’s an addition to the growing number of educational museums in Davao City. The museum has a big exhibit of animal skeletons and preserved animals from around the world.

It is facilitated by a non-government organization with the purpose of bringing education to the people. Their mission is to retrieve dead animals and preserve them, and to teach adults and kids alike about the amazing wildlife that the world has.

D’ Bone Collector Museum features a unique collection of over 200 well-preserved animal skeletons that came from different environments. Their collection includes the skeletal remains of two 41 foot rare sperm whales which is the largest species of toothed whale. The two skeletal remains are the center of attraction of the museum. Both remains of the sperm whales are among the 47 skeletal remnants displayed in the world.

One can also see the well-preserved skeletons of other animals from the plains, shallow seas, reefs, lowlands, tropical rainforests, and arid regions. Through this museum people will be educated on how can we preserve species and conserve the remaining natural resources that we have.

The unique museum was founded by a son of American missionaries,  Mr. Darrell D. Blatchley of Idaho. D’ Bone Collector Museum opened for public viewing last January 2012. Mr. Blatchley was congratulated for his prodigious collection by the Bureau of Fisheries of Aquatic Resources represented by its Research Division Ms. Fatima Idris.

Philippines certainly needs museum like D’ Bone Collector to raise awareness in the preservation and conversation of all the species in the world.

Through his long-time childhood dream of collecting skeletal remnants of different animals, Mr. Blatchley fascination with animals and their bones give way for the D' Bone Collector Museum to be opened and have his collection to be displayed publicly.

It was in Thailand when he discovered his passion in preserving skulls and bones of  an animal. At the age of 15,  Mr. Blatchley together with his parents moved to the Philippines. His parents did some missionary work and help the provery stricken Filipinos. Mr. Darrel D. Blatchley later married  a Filipina, Ms. Mary Gay, whom he has two healthy sons.

Mr. D. D. Blatchley has been featured in several magazine shows like Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho and Born to be Wild and has been featured in newspaper like Sun Star  News (A Portrait of A Bone Collector).

Apart from preserving the skeletal remains of various species, D’ Bone Collector Museum are also engaged in retrieval and rescue of marine mammals. They advocate protecting theses animals from abuse and mistreatment. Mr. Blatchley with his team immediately responds to any reports from local fishermen and authorities. 

Mr. Blatchley was featured in an article that appeared in the Mindanao Times titled “What’s Killing our Whales”. Together with a crew of local citizen, they tried to rescue a whale that was discovered lethargically swimming in the bay but their efforts failed because they can’t undo the damage cause by a fisherman’s float and plastic items found inside its intestines, that were the ultimate reason of its demise.

A lot of marine animals’ skeletons that are displayed in the museum were caused by the ocean garbage that we people produced. The displays also feature the actual items that caused their death. Maybe it’s quite sad and fascinating to see those but it’s an opportunity to take a glimpse of the bones of those species.

Mr. Blatchey himself will guide the visitors to the museum and one can see the numerous awards and certificates he received as a clear evidence of his expertise. He also trains other people on  how to help and rehabilitate animals for their return to the sea.

Although the funds that are collected from the visitors is till not enough to cover the daily expenses of the museum, Mr. Blatchley continues to promote and raise awareness of the endangered species found in the Philippines through conducting some workshops.

He also assists the government in further enhancing on how to protect animals.Mr. Darrell D. Blatchley also hopes on seeing programs that will prevent animals from being extinct. He hopes that the D' Bone Collector Museum  will be his legacy to his children and to the Filipinos.

This place is certainly a must visit while you’re in Davao. You will be surprised at the amazing collection of Mr. Blatchley who is an American but seems more Filipino than us. The museum will bring inspiration and education to the Filipino people especially the youth. It is definitely a one of a kind tourist attraction in Davao that is worth visiting.

Take note that it is challenging to reach the place but once you reached it you will be amaze of the huge collection of skeletal remains. The collections are arranged based on the type of species and are properly displayed according to their habitat.

Getting there

One needs to get to Davao City before going to D’ Bone Collector Museum.

By Air —  From Manila, you can take a flight for less than two hours to Davao via the Davao International Airport. There are also available flights from other key cities such as, Clark, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Dipolog, Kalibo,  Iloilo, Zamboanga, Puerto Princesa, Butuan and even Singapore.

By Land — There are buses bound for Davao that are are available from Manila and in Mindanao, including Cagayan de Oro, Butuan,Digos, General Santos, Cotabato, Kidapawan, Surigao Koronadal,and Tagum.

D’ Bone Collector Museum is situated at Family Circus Compound, Barangay 76-A, in Bucana along San Pedro Street Extension, Davao City. It opens from Mondays through Fridays (10 AM to 5 PM) and Saturdays (1 PM to 5 PM). The Museum accommodates group tours and school excursions. Entrance fee is Php 50 for adult and Php 40 for children and students. For reservations and inquiries, you may call 0919-6240744.

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Accomodations nearby

1. Humberto’s Hotel -J. Palma Gil cor. P. Gomez Sts, Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines.
2. The Royal Mandaya Hotel - J. Palma Gil St.,, Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines.
3. Bagobo House Hotel - Gov. Duterte St., Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines
4. Hotel Galleria - Gov. Duterte St., Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines.
5. Marco Polo Davao - CM Recto Street | P.O. Box 81540, Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines
6. Casa Leticia Boutique Hotel  - J. Camus Street, Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines
7. Apo View Hotel  - 150 J Camus Street, Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines
8. Tower Inn Davao - 566 E. Quirino Avenue, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines
9. Tune Hotel - Davao  - JP Laurel Avenue | Davao City, Davao City, Mindanao 8000, Philippines
10. Villa Margarita - J. P. Laurel Ave. Bajada, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines
11. Evergreen Hotel - R. Magsaysay Avenue, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines