Aspinall Part 3 – Close up and personal
However, some people believe that Aspinall’s theory is misguided, dangerous even for both the animals and their keepers. In 1980 a tigress called Zeya was shot after killing two keepers at Howletts. Brian Stocks and Bob Wilson, were mauled to death within weeks of each other. In 1984 Mark Aitken, a 22-year old keeper at Port Lympne was crushed to death by a bull elephant called Bindu. A fellow keeper suggested at the time that his death had been the result of an "affectionate hug". In 1994 a keeper at Howletts was mauled to death after entering the cage of a Siberian tiger in his care.
In 1989 Matthew McDaid, aged two, had his arm ripped off by a chimp called Bustah at Port Lympne after reaching into the animal's cage to stroke it. I seem to remember he dodged under a barrier to get a closer look at the animals, and this accident had no connection with Aspinall’s ‘familiarity’ programme. But unfortunately, five years later Bustah struck again, pulling the finger and thumb from the hand of a volunteer worker at the zoo.
Before Aspinall opened his collection to the public there was an incidence at Howletts that you would have thought might put him off social interaction with tigers. In 1970 a 12-year-old Robin Birley had, with John Aspinall, his mother and others, entered the cage of Zorra, a tigress; he was, his mother says, 'a bit nervous'. Zorra, perhaps alert to Birley's 'fear', had put her front paws on his shoulders, pulled him down and taken his head in her mouth. Birley was rescued - by Aspinall - but horribly wounded, his life saved by a nine-hour operation in Canterbury hospital. Of the mauling, Damian will only say, 'It was just a mistake, a miscalculation.' And Robin Birley seems to bear no grudge: he is a trustee of the Aspinall Foundation.
While John was alive, he ran the zoos like a hobby and they made constant losses, the entrance fees for visitors simply making a small contribution. John set up the Aspinall Foundation in 1984, “committed to returning rare and endangered animals back to their natural habitats.” John died of cancer in 2000 and is buried in his beloved Howletts, and the Foundation is now led by his eldest son Damian Aspinall. Damian shares his father vision to return animal back to the wild. Over 130 critically endangered western lowland gorillas have been bred in his two parks, more than any other zoo on Earth. Also bred have been 30 near extinct black rhinos, 180 tigers, and 140 rare clouded-leopards.
[Continued in part 4]
Aspinall Part 3 – Close up and personal
However, some people believe that Aspinall’s theory is misguided, dangerous even for both the animals and their keepers. In 1980 a tigress called Zeya was shot after killing two keepers at Howletts. Brian Stocks and Bob Wilson, were mauled to death within weeks of each other. In 1984 Mark Aitken, a 22-year old keeper at Port Lympne was crushed to death by a bull elephant called Bindu. A fellow keeper suggested at the time that his death had been the result of an "affectionate hug". In 1994 a keeper at Howletts was mauled to death after entering the cage of a Siberian tiger in his care.
In 1989 Matthew McDaid, aged two, had his arm ripped off by a chimp called Bustah at Port Lympne after reaching into the animal's cage to stroke it. I seem to remember he dodged under a barrier to get a closer look at the animals, and this accident had no connection with Aspinall’s ‘familiarity’ programme. But unfortunately, five years later Bustah struck again, pulling the finger and thumb from the hand of a volunteer worker at the zoo.
Before Aspinall opened his collection to the public there was an incidence at Howletts that you would have thought might put him off social interaction with tigers. In 1970 a 12-year-old Robin Birley had, with John Aspinall, his mother and others, entered the cage of Zorra, a tigress; he was, his mother says, 'a bit nervous'. Zorra, perhaps alert to Birley's 'fear', had put her front paws on his shoulders, pulled him down and taken his head in her mouth. Birley was rescued - by Aspinall - but horribly wounded, his life saved by a nine-hour operation in Canterbury hospital. Of the mauling, Damian will only say, 'It was just a mistake, a miscalculation.' And Robin Birley seems to bear no grudge: he is a trustee of the Aspinall Foundation.
While John was alive, he ran the zoos like a hobby and they made constant losses, the entrance fees for visitors simply making a small contribution. John set up the Aspinall Foundation in 1984, “committed to returning rare and endangered animals back to their natural habitats.” John died of cancer in 2000 and is buried in his beloved Howletts, and the Foundation is now led by his eldest son Damian Aspinall. Damian shares his father vision to return animal back to the wild. Over 130 critically endangered western lowland gorillas have been bred in his two parks, more than any other zoo on Earth. Also bred have been 30 near extinct black rhinos, 180 tigers, and 140 rare clouded-leopards.
[Continued in part 4]