Damian Aspinall

John Damian Androcles Aspinall (born 24 May 1960) is an English businessman and conservationist. He has raised and released a number of zoo-bred lowland gorillas in Gabon. Early life Aspinall is the son of Jane Gordon Hastings and John Victor Aspinall who was a casino and zoo owner, founder of Aspinall's, conservationist, and the stepson of Sir George Osborne, 16th Baronet. Aspinall's step-mother is Lady Sarah Aspinall. In 1972, his father married Lady Sarah "Sally" Courage, widow of the racing driver Piers Courage and daughter of Francis Curzon, 5th Earl Howe. From the age of six, Aspinall was educated as a boarder at Millfield in Somerset. Career Aspinall's wealth is estimated to be around £200m. 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. He runs the John Aspinall Foundation founded by his father, and his stated goal is to breed gorillas and return them to the wild. He manages Howletts Wild Animal Park and nearby Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, where at least 120 gorillas have been born.