I think I have to thank both my parents for my love of animals. Although neither of them was terribly fond of animals, they realised my love for animals and put their views aside and allowed me to explore my love for animals. So much so that when I was 3 years old, they took me to an animal shelter in St. Maarten and got me a retired police dog as my first pet (the dog in the photo is not Berto). I still remember how Berto protected me from all sorts of garden lizards, and po