When we get married, we not only adopt our partner’s family, but we adopt their passions and interests. When Victoria married Damian Aspinall, it meant she’d have to get used to Damian’s lifelong love of animals. Not only was Damian the owner of two zoos, but he had helped raise two baby gorillas when he was still a child! Damian helped to rear the two baby gorillas until they were able to be released into the wild, an experience that bonded him so strongly to the gorillas that he still thought of them as part of his extended family. He even referred to them as his cousins!
Naturally, we want to introduce our spouses to our families, and Damian felt he needed to introduce his new wife to the two gorillas he had loved as a child. Of course, he couldn’t call the gorillas up and ask them where they lived. Instead, Damian set out for a long and difficult journey to find his two old friends. As you might imagine, the journey to find these two gorillas and finally introduce them to his wife was no ordinary trip! Read on to discover all the twists and turns that accompanied Damian and Victoria as they journeyed to reunite with Damian’s two wonderful primate family members.
Growing Up With Animals
Damian’s father, John Aspinall, founded Howletts Wild Animal Park in 1957. Damian grew up on the land with the animals, so he was acclimated to exotic, wild animals at a very young age.
Located in Kent, England, the Howletts is made up of 700 acres. Not only is this land Damian’s birthplace, but a wonderful and fantastic array of animals call this large estate home as well!
