Victoria knew that part of the package was his passion for animals when she was marrying Damian Aspinall. He was the owner of two zoos, so to say that he knew all kinds of animals would be an understatement. He soon decided that it was time for her to meet the gorillas he had raised himself.
She Didn’t Expect This When She Discovered That Her Husband’s Gorillas Were Part Of The Whole Deal
An Unusual Childhood
Damian Aspinall had a childhood full of exotic animals. This was because Howletts Wild Animal Park was founded by his father John in 1957. Damian grew up on a 700-acre estate in Kent.
An Unusual Childhood
They Looked Out For Him
There had even been a time when he found himself stuck in a tree. In the form of a gorilla that had brought him back to the ground, his saving grace had come! He said that she wiped away his tears and also comforted him.
They Looked Out For Him
The Aspinall Foundation
Howletts Wild Animal Park started with the establishment of the Aspinall Foundation by John Aspinall. Its objective was to promote wildlife conservation and the start of two zoos: Port Lympne Wild Animal Park and Howletts Wild Animal Park.
The Aspinall Foundation
Inheriting The Organization
Another project was for orphaned gorillas created by the organization. After rehabilitation, they reintroduced these poor animals to the wild. Damian was the one to become the chairman after his father passed away. Finally, to make his dream projects come true, it was in his power.
Inheriting The Organization
Better Than Humans
Damian does not remember that during his childhood, friends ever came. He told the Daily Mail, “You don’t get playdates when you’ve got tigers in the garden. The odd mate came; otherwise, it was just the animals and me. To be perfectly honest, I’ve always felt disconnected, and humans inevitably let you down – animals never do. There are more honesty and purity there.”
Better Than Humans
Furry Friends
Perhaps it was an odd one, but Damian said he had “an extraordinarily blessed childhood.” He said, “We’ve got Super 8 films from the ’60s of me as a seven-year-old, playing with tigers and bison around a tree or tearing around the lawns with a gang of wolves.”
Furry Friends
Making His Own Fortune
Damian Aspinall has a net worth of millions of dollars nowadays. However, when he was starting in life, it was not like this. His father refused to help him financially, so he made a name for himself on his own in real estate. How did he manage to keep the zoo going when his father left him with no money?
Making His Own Fortune
A Burning Desire
Damian kept in mind, “You have to understand that when he died, there was no money in the bank, and these parks were losing £4m a year. Now we have to find £10m a year. I can see why the other family members didn’t want to be involved. My brother and sister had no interest in animals, but I was compelled to do it.”
A Burning Desire
Raising Gorillas
He helped raise the baby gorillas when he was growing up! He has forged a special bond with them, comparable to the father and the child. There were two male gorillas he loved more than anything. He said, “Both of the gorillas were planned to be moved back into the wild in a protected habitat.”
Raising Gorillas
His Family
Victoria is not the first wife of Damian. He was formerly married to Louise Elizabeth Julia Sebag-Montefiore, with whom he has two daughters: Tansy and Clary. The former is 30 years old now, and Clary is 27. He has another daughter, a 16-year-old girl named Freya, with an ex-girlfriend, Donna Air.
His Family
Like Their Own Children
In August 2016, Damian Aspinall and Victoria Fisher tied the knot in Tuscany. The Burberry employee even joked that part of the package was his love for animals. But she’s also an animal lover, and she didn’t mind. ”It might sound crazy, but I genuinely love the wolves as if they were my own children,” she remarked. “Kago even used to sleep in our bed!”
Like Their Own Children
Through Mutual Friends
They met at a dinner party for the first time, where she soon agreed on a date with him. “At the lunch date, he had all these stories about Howletts, so I Googled him afterward and couldn’t believe it all existed,” she said, “I wouldn’t naturally go for that sort of setup. And I don’t think anyone would have put us together on paper. Damian would say the same thing – neither of us was looking for the other.”
Through Mutual Friends
Looking For Djalta and Ima
It had been more than a decade at that point since he reintroduced Ima and Djalta to the wild. He was thinking that it was time to see how they were doing. It was not the first time he had come to the protected habitat to check them out. There was something, however, which would make it different now…
Looking For Djalta and Ima
A Unique Trip
The reason is that he had planned to take him with Victoria! How’s that exciting? Victoria was on her way to meet two of her husband’s gorillas. They didn’t know what was coming, though.
A Unique Trip
Missing His Gorilla Friends
They were close to Damian when the two were still living at Howletts Wild Animal Park. Although he was not sure if they would remember him, they had a unique bond. It’s what he wanted to find out about.
Missing His Gorilla Friends
A Major Risk Involved
He knew, too, that adult gorillas might be dangerous. He was not sure how they would react in their midst to a stranger. He did not want, of course, to put his lovely new wife in a risky situation.
A Major Risk Involved
Going To Gabon
It wasn’t long before the couple went to Gabon and a team of experts to go on a search mission. Damian was excited about the thought of reuniting with Ima and Djalta, but they were nervous for Victoria.
Going To Gabon
Difficult Terrain
The team came all the way from the United Kingdom to Gabon. For the mission to be a success, they had plenty of things to do. They had to cross the difficult terrain and even take a ride on a boat!
Difficult Terrain
Off They Go
Everyone knew that there was a good chance they would get injured at some point, but it wasn’t enough to stop them. None of them, though, expected the location of the gorillas to be difficult to determine.
Off They Go
The Quest For The Gorillas
Before they were set free, it was certainly a smart idea for them to put GPS locators on the gorillas. This made the search easier than it was going to be. It still did not, however, lead them to a specific location.
The Quest For The Gorillas
New Technological Innovations
There was such a dense jungle that it was difficult to find out where Ima and Djalta were. Also, Damian knew that going slowly was the best approach to avoid startling the gorillas. After searching to no avail, the others wanted to give up, but he arrived ready.
New Technological Innovations
Using Drones
He decided it was time to put his state-of-the-art drones to use since the GPS locators weren’t enough. After connecting it to his smartphone, the pair of gorillas surveyed the area. They finally spotted Djalta and Ima!
Using Drones
Is It A Bird
As they then came out of the bushes, the object probably caught their attention. As they stepped out, they were cautious, looking more confused than anything. They did not show any aggression, however. And that was the story of how a riverbank discovered Djalta and Ima.
Is It A Bird
In The Blink Of An Eye
They then saw the crew, on a boat, coming towards them. More intrigued than anything else, Ima and Djalta looked. However, as soon as they arrived, wild animals tended to change their disposition.
In The Blink Of An Eye
At Long Last
Finally, the time to meet the gorillas arrived. Everybody was excited about this meeting and nervous. Would Damian be recognized by Ima and Djalta? Would they aggressively treat their human visitors? They were about to discover it.
At Long Last
Their Disposition
Gorillas are shy animals who tend to stay away from us. They are strong creatures, however, who might kill us when we provoke them! It’s a good thing that provoking them takes a lot.
Their Disposition
What Happens Next
They turned the drone off as they approached the riverbank to avoid overstimulating the animals. The whole crew wanted to do everything as carefully as possible, so they slowly approached them.
What Happens Next
How Would They React?
Naturally, at that particular point, many questions were running through the heads of everybody. When they see the individual who raised them, how would they act? How would they react to a stranger like Victoria?
How Would They React?
Putting The Plan To Action
Damian knew that, as they might recognize him, he needed to be the one to come to them. 14 years is no joke, though. While unsure of what was going to happen, he waded the river out of the boat.
Putting The Plan To Action
Grunting Noises
Damian crouched to make sure that he was not taller than they had been. This was one way, although they did not show aggression at all, to appear less threatening. Actually, instead, they began making noises!
Grunting Noises
Friendly Noises
Those noises were friendly ones! The grunt or the gurgle was a sound he knew. Djalta and Ima seem to have remembered him no matter how many years have passed. So how did Victoria’s meeting go?
Friendly Noises
Slow And Steady
He knew it was time to take Victoria to them after seeing how comfortable they were in his presence. “I decided to ease my way ashore gently. I didn’t want to frighten them, and I wanted to make sure that they were relaxed,” she narrated.
Slow And Steady
Victoria Approaches
As Victoria crossed to join the three of them, Damian was sitting on the riverbank. Nevertheless, he suddenly asked her to stop as she approached them. He wanted to check how they would respond first.
Victoria Approaches
Slowly But Surely
It wasn’t hard to see why the whole thing concerned him. Nevertheless, she continued to go and then rested on the edge of the riverbank. When they let out a guttural sound, though, things changed.
Slowly But Surely
Moving Closer
Yup, that’s right. The same noise they made for him was made for them! They were obviously not going to harm Victoria in any way. Damian then asked her to come closer, as it seemed all was okay.
Moving Closer
Welcome To The Family
Damian thought that the noise signaled their acceptance of Victoria into the family. The way they approached and nuzzled her verified his theory! It certainly seemed as if. they liked his new wife.
Welcome To The Family
Gentle Nuzzles & Warm Hugs
They were friendly to the couple, offering warm hugs all around them and gentle nuzzles. They decided it was time to get some rest and once again get on the boat. However, they weren’t abandoning them.
Gentle Nuzzles & Warm Hugs
The Following Day
The next day, they came back to that area, and they didn’t have to look far and wide, as they stayed in the same spot as the day before. Ima seemed to have taken Victoria’s particular liking, judging by the noises he made.
The Following Day
They Began To Play
Together, Victoria and Ima hugged and began to play. There’s no doubt the two got along very well together. Nothing, however, could have prepared the couple for what was about to occur. Any guesses at all?
They Began To Play
Hat Trick
Ima took her hat, looked at it, and put it on her own head, too! It sounds like something that a stupid person would do. Fortunately, the interaction was recorded on tape and even reached YouTube.
Hat Trick
Viral
The viral video actually gained some 12 million views. It was likely that Victoria and Damian had no idea the video would be such a hit. This was the video that brought their fame to an entirely new level!
Viral
Where They Live
In African tropical rainforests, gorillas are found. There you’ll find eastern and western gorillas. For such a long time, they have been apart that they have developed distinct features. Did you know that mountain gorillas can climb the heights of tree lines? A height of 4,000 meters was the highest record!
Where They Live
Rapid Decline
The western lowland gorilla population has suffered a 60 % reduction in the past 25 years. Due to their shyness, although it is difficult to keep track, humans and diseases have caused the population to drop.
Rapid Decline
To This Day
Poachers continue hunting for meat, sport, or trophies from the animals. All species of gorillas are endangered at the moment. Damian hopes to improve it by creating gorilla habitats like the one in which Djalta and Ima now live.
To This Day
Gorillas Are Generally Gentle
The gorillas are timid creatures that don’t like people in particular. However, if we do the same for them, the primates will leave us alone. This is a special case, as you can see!
Gorillas Are Generally Gentle
A Rare Case
There are times when gorillas are dangerous to us, although usually, it’s not their fault. Professionals should only approach them. The same is true of the animal with whom Freya Aspinall is in this picture.
A Rare Case
Bluff Charge
It’s their instinct to use violence for protection when gorillas feel surprised or threatened. Male Silverback gorillas often respond with roars and charges of the bluff. Remember that they’re fast, and they’re going to bite you!
Bluff Charge
Prince William And Damian
In the world of conservation, Damian Aspinall has made a name for himself. Can you believe that Prince William even met him? The royal visited the Aspinall Foundation’s rhino conservation in 2012.
Prince William And Damian
Becoming An Aspinall
For their work in the field, the Aspinalls are rather famous in the United Kingdom. Victoria is also a gorgeous individual who has appeared in different magazines. With their wild animals, she offered everyone a look into their amazing lives.
Becoming An Aspinall