Damian Aspinall

Mansion at Port Lympne designed by Herbert Baker

John Damian Androcles Aspinall (born 24 May 1960), is an English casino owner, aspiring songwriter and conservationist, notable for his raising and release of Kwibi, a zoo-bred Lowland Gorilla in Gabon. He is the son of Jane Gordon Hastings and John Victor Aspinall, zoo owner, gambler and founder of Aspers, and conservationist. Aspinall was educated at Millfield School, Somerset.

Career

Damian acquired his wealth independently in the real estate business - his father refusing to assist him financially. After his father's death in 2000, Damian bought back the family casino interests with the help of Australian associate James Packer, son of Kerry Packer.^[1] He runs the John Aspinall Foundation started by his father, and his stated goal is to breed gorillas and return them to the wild. He manages Howletts and nearby Port Lympne, where 120 gorillas have been born and 77 presently live. The foundation has released 51 gorillas to secure areas in Africa.^[2]

Kwibi, the celebrity gorilla released when 5 years old in 2005 in Gabon, had been born and raised at Howletts, a wild animal park in Kent. Aspinall tracked Kwibi in 2010 and the video of the reunion became widely viewed on YouTube.^[3]

Personal life

Damian Aspinall was married for 15 years from July 1987; his wedding took place at Westminster Abbey, Westminster, London, to Louise Elizabeth Julia Sebag-Montefiore (b. 31 July 1962), daughter of Peter Geoffrey Edmund Nathaniel Sebag-Montefiore (b. 29 June 1929) and wife (m. 17 September 1960) Joanna Ethne Julia Poett, the mother of his two daughters Tansy Aspinall (b. Westminster, London, 1989) and Clary Aspinall (b. Westminster, London, 1992),^[4][5] and still maintains good relations with her. After his divorce he dated Kirsty Roper, a former Miss UK.^[6] Until 2007 he was in a relationship with TV presenter Donna Air, the mother of his daughter Freya Aspinall (b. September 2003).^[7]

External links

• The Aspinall Foundation
• The Peerage

References

1. ^ Business Times
2. ^ Today
3. ^ YouTube
4. ^ Peter Townend, editor, Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 18th edition, 3 volumes (London, England: Burke's Peerage Ltd, 1965-1972), volume 1, page 506.
5. ^ Announcements, The Daily Mail, London, U.K., 20 July 2007.
6. ^ Daily Mail
7. ^ This Is London

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Name	Aspinall, Damian
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Date of birth	24 May 1960
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