Damian Aspinall

amian Aspinall is a polymath who combines the running of a globally unique conservation organisation with the ownership of one of the largest casino groups in the UK and songwriting.

Educated at Millfield School, Somerset, he acquired his wealth independently in the real estate business. Following the death of his father, John, in 2000 he bought back the family casino interests with the help of Australian associate James Packer, son of Kerry Packer. His Aspers group also has major casinos in London and three other UK cities.

Damian’s abiding passion remains conservation and a determination to do everything possible to turn re-stock Earth’s remaining wildernesses with the animals mankind has driven to the brink of extinction. As a child he was brought up surrounded by the wild animals kept at the wildlife parks founded by his father at Howletts and Port Lympne in Kent, England and his deep love of and respect for animals has endured..

Since taking over the running of The Aspinall Foundation 13 years ago, Damian has overseen the breeding in captivity of hundreds of animals from rare and endangered species. The foundation’s ultimate aim of keeping and breeding these animals is to send as many as possible back to their ancestral homelands where they can breed and re-establish the long term viability of their species.

In the last decade it has returned scores of animals from endangered species to the wild and plans to increase the numbers returned in the coming years in the conservation projects the foundation manages in Congo, Gabon, Indonesia and Madagascar.

This is in keeping with Damian’s long term vision of seeing the diminution of the role of role of zoos as keepers of collections of animals for human entertainment and their fundamental role shift towards that of breeding and returning animals to the wild. Although this is a view which has attracted controversy from conventional zoos and wildlife parks, Damian believes it is intrinsic to mankind’s responsibility to the planet.

One of the most touching examples of the unique bond Damian has with animals was shown in the extraordinary footage of Damian’s reunion with Kwibi, a gorilla raised at Howletts and released in Gabon when he was 5 years old in 2005. Five years later Damian tracked Kwibi down in the jungle and the video of the reunion has attracted millions of YouTube views.


Aspinall Foundation: http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/
Aspinall Foundation Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaspinallfoundation
Aspinall Foundation Twitter: https://twitter.com/AspinallCharity
Kwibi reunion footage on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTBENAU6i1Y