Damian Aspinall has a goal – to raise gorillas and to release them back in to the wild. A self-made business man, he started the Aspinall Foundation with that intention and so far has released over fifty gorillas in to secure areas in Africa.
So, it is only human to want to find out how your former wards are doing. Venturing deep in to the Gabon jungle, Aspinall went in search of Kwibi, who he had hand-reared and nurtured up to the point where he was released in to the wild five years previously.
They say that elephants do not forget but one thing we now know for sure – the same can be said about gorillas. When he eventually found Kwibi, Aspinall was in for a surprise. Not only did Kwibi recognize him, once the re-introductions were over it was obvious that his old friend really didn’t want to part company with him ever again!
Although the debate continues about the pros and cons of what is effectively zoo-based conservation, Aspinall has proven that gorillas at least can be successfully reintroduced in to the wild despite massive contact with and care from people.
