Coach Panda Doesn’t Want You to Know About His Soft Spot for Animals
One hot afternoon, Brian Lim, aka Coach Panda, was filmed by his wife while he was feeding stray dogs and cats. He did not expect the video would go viral on social media.
“My wife and I were on a date on my day off. I was really concerned about the stray animals these days because it’s so hot in the Philippines,” Coach Panda told ALL-STAR.
“Every time we see stray dogs with wounds, yung tongue nila nasa labas, at mukhang hindi sila kumain for a long time, my wife andI would see that kawawa naman yung mga aso, wala silang tubig. We said we should go get them some food and water,” he added.
According to Coach Panda, they saw several stray dogs that looked very thirsty, so they decided to buy them food from a carinderia, which was a ten-minute walk away.
“Binili namin yung mga ulam at kanin, hinalo-halo namin and we gave it to the stray dogs. Sayang din because I did not expect there would be so many, marami pala sila. Ang unang nakita ko, mga lima,” said Coach Panda.
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The Hall of Legends Inductee is usually perceived as a strict disciplinarian. The RSG coach has tough love for his players, even scolding H2W0 for being too positive. “Si H2 kasi, super positive, kahit talo, sasabihin niyang ‘bawi, bawi.’ But before you make bawi, you have to know how you can win, what mistakes you have made.”
That’s why when footage of Coach Panda surfaced on social media, it looked like Coach Panda was out of character. But in fact, it’s really another side of him he does not show to people.
“I don’t want to boast or be proud of being an animal lover,” said Panda. “I did not want it to be in public but I appreciate people who tell me that, Oh, may ganitong side pala si Coach Panda.”
But since the video gave him away, he decided to talk about it. In fact, he and his wife rescued animals in the past.
“I’ve always been an animal lover, especially my wife, who is a big pet lover. We adopted two dogs, we rescued them. Just recently, we rescued a dog, his whole skin got burned tapos may sakit siya. Nakita namin sa Facebook, tapos inadopt namin siya.”
Admittedly, Coach Panda says he tends to get so focused on his work that he sometimes loses his feelings. His wife plays a big role in bringing back humanity in Coach Panda.
“My wife also became a big inspiration for me especially when I’m so busy and I’m so focused on my own life. She also helps me bring back my feelings through animals,” Coach Panda told ALL-STAR.
But even as a child, Panda has always had a soft spot for animals. He remembers taking care of cats and dogs growing up. And when he was living alone in the U.S. pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering, his companions were a cat and a dog.
“Ever since I was a kid, I had a cat, I had a dog. Even when I was living alone in the U.S. and in Korea, I also had a cat and a dog. Sayang lang, sobrang busy ako ngayon, and I don’t see much of my cats and dogs at home. But when I do, they are very happy to see me also,” said Coach Panda.
Coach Panda is Not Afraid of Stray Dogs
Coach Panda knows more than reading the battlefield in MLBB. He can also read the body language of dogs and knows when to approach them or not.
“I’m not really scared of stray dogs because I know dogs will not bite you basta-basta, unless you show a wrong hand gesture, or if you quickly approach them, or if your hand is suddenly on top of them,” said Coach Panda. “What I do to make them feel safe is I keep my distance and I make sure that my hand is below their head so they can see it and they know that I’m not a real threat.”
“What I just want is for all the dogs and cats outside to be safe and have a source of drinking water, especially since the weather is very hot,” he added.
Coach Panda’s secret’s out of the bag, and it’s not about his coaching tactics. Turns out, behind the tough love and battlefield strategies lies a softie for stray animals.
