Tansy Aspinall's Reunion With the Gorillas She Grew Up With

A Gorilla Reunion From a Family's Conservation Story

Tansy Aspinall grew up around gorillas at her family's wildlife park in Kent, England. In 2014, as a young woman, she travelled to Gabon to look for two of them, Bimms and Djalta, years after they had been returned to the wild, and the gorillas came out of the forest and greeted her gently. The moment was filmed by The Aspinall Foundation and shared widely online. Here is who the people and animals are, what happened, what the reunion can and cannot tell us about gorilla memory, and why sending zoo-born gorillas back to Africa remains debated.

Who Tansy Aspinall is

Tansy, born in 1989, is the eldest daughter of the conservationist and businessman Damian Aspinall and Louise Sebag-Montefiore. Her grandfather, the casino owner John Aspinall, founded two animal parks in Kent, Howletts near Canterbury and Port Lympne, and in 1984 set up the charity now called The Aspinall Foundation. Damian later ran the parks and chaired the foundation.

Growing up in that world meant that gorillas were part of everyday life. Tansy and her younger sister Clary spent time with young gorillas at Howletts, playing with them on the grass and, under supervision, inside their enclosures. In an interview with the Evening Standard she remembered the gorillas running up to hug the children, and the chasing and rolling around that followed.

Early family photos like this one, credited to Rexscanpix, show the young Tansy sitting in the straw with a gorilla, entirely relaxed. Two of the animals, Bimms and Djalta, were especially close to the sisters; Tansy later described them to the Daily Mail as being like relatives.

From Kent to the forests of Gabon

The Aspinall Foundation's main goal for its gorillas is not life in a park but a return to the wild. Western lowland gorillas are native to the forests of west-central Africa, including Gabon, and the subspecies is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN after heavy losses to poaching, habitat loss and Ebola.

In 2002 the foundation became the first organisation to reintroduce young, captive-born gorillas into the wild in Gabon, on protected land it supports there. Bimms and Djalta were among the gorillas sent from Kent. Tansy was still a child when they left, which is why the trip years later felt like such a gamble: she had no idea whether they would remember her, or whether life in the forest would have made them wary or even dangerous.

The reunion in 2014

In 2014 Tansy and her father went to Gabon to find them. According to the foundation's account, the team spent hours travelling along the river by boat and calling out before the gorillas appeared on the bank. What followed is the scene in the video: a large, wild-living male approaches, wraps his arms around Tansy and stays close, calm and careful.

Tansy told reporters she was convinced Bimms knew exactly who she was, and she described him as remarkably gentle. When it was time to leave, the gorillas reportedly held on to her as if they did not want her to go. Damian Aspinall, who had a similar reunion of his own, said he could feel the affection in the greeting.

Watch the reunion for yourself in the foundation's official video:

Did the gorillas really remember her?

Nobody can be certain what a gorilla recognises, and a short film always shows the most touching moments. Still, the behaviour is consistent with what we know about great apes. Gorillas live in stable family groups, form long-lasting relationships and learn to read individual faces and voices. Captive-born gorillas who spent their early years with particular people have every reason to retain a strong memory of them.

It is worth being careful in the other direction, too. This story is sometimes told with the claim that cats or dogs would forget a person after a few years. There is no good evidence for a fixed limit like that, and many pet owners report the opposite. What we can say is that this particular reunion fits the picture of gorillas as intelligent, social animals with long memories, and that the people who knew them best were sure they were recognised.

The calm behaviour also reflects the gorillas' upbringing. These were animals raised around humans and then gradually released. A wild-born gorilla that had never met a person would behave very differently, and approaching one would be risky for both sides.

The debate over returning zoo gorillas to the wild

The reunion is heart-warming, but the foundation's work has critics. Some primate experts argue that moving zoo-born gorillas to Africa is dangerous because the animals may be too used to people, may not cope with finding food or avoiding threats, and may meet hostile wild gorillas. In 2014, at least five of ten zoo-born males sent to Gabon were killed; Damian Aspinall blamed one released gorilla for the deaths and said the charity received little credit for its successes.

By the foundation's own figures in 2014, it had returned more than 50 gorillas to the wild since 1996. Supporters see each healthy, independent group as proof that rewilding can work. Sceptics argue that money and effort might do more good protecting the wild gorillas that already exist. Both sides agree on one thing: the forests these animals live in need protecting if any gorilla, wild-born or zoo-born, is to have a future there.

The organisation itself has also faced scrutiny. In 2021 the Charity Commission opened an inquiry into governance and conflicts of interest at the charity, and in 2022 Damian Aspinall was asked to stand down as chairman after financial irregularities were found.

What the story leaves us with

Relationships with animals can last. For people who raise or care for great apes, a bond formed in childhood can still be there years later.
Recognition is an interpretation. The video is moving, but it shows one family's experience, not a scientific measure of gorilla memory.
Do not try this with wild apes. Bimms and Djalta grew up with people. Wild gorillas should only be watched from a safe distance on properly managed tours.
Conservation is the bigger story. Western lowland gorillas are Critically Endangered. Supporting habitat protection and anti-poaching work helps far more animals than any single reunion.

Sources: The Aspinall Foundation: Tansy Aspinall and the gorillas, official video; Good News Network: Wild gorillas reunited with girl recognize her as adult (2014); Wikipedia: Damian Aspinall; Wikipedia: The Aspinall Foundation; Wikipedia: Western lowland gorilla. Tansy Aspinall interviews as reported by the Evening Standard and the Daily Mail (2014). Images: Rexscanpix / The Aspinall Foundation. Story first shared by The Mind Unleashed.

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