This Woman Got Dangerously Close to a Gorilla and That’s When the Unexpected Happened

When Victoria Aspinall married her husband Damian, she learned that she had to share his heart with his animals. But then he took her to Gabon, Central Africa, to introduce her to two gorillas he had raised and released into the wild.

And despite his warning, she got dangerously close, and that’s when the unexpected happened…

He Grew Up With Animals

In 1957, Damian Aspinall’s father, John Aspinall, founded the Howletts Wild Animal Park. So, Aspinall spent his childhood inside the 700-acre estate in Kent, England.

In fact, Aspinall claims that a surrogate gorilla mother helped him climb down from a tree he was stuck in. It’s too bad she wasn’t around when his wife got dangerously close to a gorilla years later.

They Provide a Safe Haven

The Howletts Wild Animal Park organization provides a safe haven for gorillas. They also ensure the survival of the species by reintroducing bred gorillas back into the wild at the Plateau Bateke National Park in Gabon, Central Africa.

 When Aspinall’s father passed away, he continued the legacy, but was it a mistake he would live to regret?

The Animals Kept Him Company

As a child, Aspinall was a loner among his own kind, but he was definitely popular with wild animals. “I’ve always felt disconnected, and humans inevitably let you down – animals never do.

There’s more of an honesty and purity there,” Aspinall told Daily Mail. He never imagined his love for animals would put the love of his life in danger.

Baby Gorillas Called Him Dad

The organization had several projects that involved releasing animals back into the wild, which is how Aspinall ended up raising numerous baby gorillas. He was so proud of the bond they shared that he even felt like a surrogate father.

But there were two male gorillas called Djalta and Ima that really stole his heart. “Both of the gorillas were planned to be moved back into the wild in a protected habitat,” he told Daily Mail, and soon enough, his furry friends were released back to where they belonged.

But he had no idea that a tense family reunion was in the cards.