Born to be Vets

Sunday mornings are alive with these two veterinarians. Doc Ferds Recio and Doc Nielsen Donato, hosts of the wildlife and environment show Born to be Wild, are often seen searching for wild animals, visiting rescue centers and exploring the most pristine places in the country.
 
 

The duo are also busy when the cameras are not rolling, with their clinic practice and personal advocacies. Yet they also find time for some “me” time.  Doc Ferds maintains an active lifestyle by regularly going to the gym, playing badminton, and swimming, while Doc Nielsen and his family often visit the beach. He also treks the mountains behind their family rest house to see his favorite waterfall in Laguna, where he spent most of his childhood.
 
 

Doc Ferds during his vet student days in UPLB
 
 

Both agree that hosting a television program was not something they planned. An alumnus of the University of the Philippines Los Banos, Doc Ferds was active in school activities. He was a soccer player, a theater actor, a band and choir member and a church leader. No wonder batch mates from UPLB called him the campus heartthrob. When the offer of hosting Born to be Wild came along, he was about to migrate to the United States and find work as a nurse, as he also has a nursing degree. But Doc Ferds could not resist the once-in-a-lifetime chance. Today, he says, he does not regret his decision.
 
 

Doc Nielsen as a young vet
 
 

Did you know that hosting Born to be Wild was also offered to Doc Nielsen in 2007?  But at the time, he was busy with his practice since he is also a managing partner of Vets In Practice, an animal hospital. In 2010, when the opportunity knocked again, he finally said yes. Staying true to his advocacy of wildlife conservation and protection, Doc Nielsen manages a rescue center in Laguna which is accredited by the DENR. Most animals that are brought here are rescued and are rehabilitated in hopes that they will be brought back to their natural habitat.
 
 

When asked, both Doc Ferds and Doc Nielsen agree that being a veterinarian is not just a profession. For them, saving animals is more than their passion and advocacy; it is their life and calling.
 
 

"Born to be Wild" is the first nature documentary show on Philippine television, featuring stories about wildlife and the environment.  It airs Sundays, 9:30am on GMA-7.