- Location: Port Lympne Zoo and Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, England.
- Founded: 1984 by John Aspinall.
- Species: Western Lowland Gorilla, Javan Gibbon, Greater Bamboo Lemur, Black Rhino, Sumatran Rhino, Przewalski Horse, and Scottish Wildcat.
- Projects: Main projects include breeding programs, re-introducing rare animals to the wild, and anti-poaching activities.
What is Aspinall Foundation?
Aspinall Foundation is a registered charity established in 1984 by John Aspinall to contribute to the survival and welfare of incredible animals worldwide.
It is a UK charity (Registration Number 1129244) and a registered charity under the US Internal Revenue Code 501(c)(3) with the number 26-3995250.
The foundation has projects worldwide that tackle issues such as protecting endangered species, supporting community-based conservation initiatives, promoting animal welfare in zoos, and educating people about animal diversity.
Aspinall Foundation supports field projects through grants to specialist organizations worldwide, helping indigenous communities, government departments, and scientific institutions realize their visions for lasting change.
The foundation’s ethos is that protecting rare and endangered animal populations now is possible while also playing our part in making long-term changes that will ensure sustainability for future generations.
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Aspinall Foundation’s Mission
The Aspinall Foundation is an international conservation charity committed to saving endangered primates and their habitats.
Aspinall Foundation’s mission is to protect the world’s primates, habitats, and wild spaces by funding field projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Aspinall Foundation’s vision is for all threatened primates to be assured of survival in their natural habitat. The organization also works with protected wilderness areas to keep them secure and safe for rare and endangered animals.
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What wild animal parks are under Aspinall Foundation?
It is a charity that operates Aspinall’s Old English Zoo, Aspinall’s Port Lympne Reserve, and Aspinall Farms. These are home to over 600 animals representing about 100 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
The foundation is notable for its pioneering conservation work about Asiatic black bears, Sumatran tigers, and Malkara leopards. It is also involved in the international conservation of lineages of rare species through its European Endangered Species Program (EEP).
From Aspinall’s old English Zoo, founded by John Aspinall, the Foundation expanded greatly by purchasing Port Lympne Mansion and Park in Kent, England.
Aspinall’s establishment at the site was principally down to the efforts of Dame Margo Aspinall, who raised money for Aspinall to buy two-thirds of the Port Lympne estate after it had ceased to be a zoo and was in danger of becoming a theme park.
Aspinall’s vision for Port Lympne is to become a place where rare and endangered species would be bred and protected. Aspinall Foundation now uses its expertise to help create conservation breeding programs and ways to protect endangered animals both in the UK and abroad.
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Who owns the Aspinall Foundation?
Aspinall Foundation is a registered charity focused on wildlife conservation and animal welfare, as listed in their statement of purpose.
It was founded by John Aspinal in 1984 and is also one of the largest charitable investors in the global elephant conservation effort. Aspinall also founded Aspinal of London, a luxury British handbag maker.
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Programs
Western Lowland Gorilla Program
The Aspinall Foundation works with the governments of the Republic of Congo and Gabon to protect the unique savannah ecosystem of the Batéké Plateau and to re-introduce the western lowland gorillas to the region.
The foundation helps fund the rangers stationed around this area to combat poaching and provides facilities for gorillas confiscated by government officials.
Between 1996 and 2006, 51 gorillas were released into the area. 43 of these were confiscated wild-born orphans, and the rest were captive-bred animals from the parks in Kent.
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Javan Primate Program
The two parks in Kent have seen 24 Javan gibbons born since 1988 and currently house 11 males and 13 females. The foundation started a breeding sanctuary, breeding success, and reintroduction program for this species in March 2012.
A rehabilitation center was opened in Malang, East Java, to be used for the release of the Javan langurs rehabilitated and bred at the British parks.
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Black Rhino Program
The Aspinall Foundation is an animal conservation charity that cooperates with the South African National Parks and the Tanzanian government to reintroduce endangered black rhinos to the wild through an exchange program and lead the way in animal care.
So far, one male who has sired at least three calves and two females have been returned to South Africa. The two females have both given birth to a bull. Another three black rhinos have been reintroduced to the wild in Tanzania.
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Is the Aspinall Foundation legit?
The Aspinall Foundation is a 501c3, which means it’s legitimate. In the early 1984s, the Foundation rehabilitated Aspinall’s Zoo into a business that would.
The foundation is a company that takes in captive animals and provides them with enough space, food, comfort, and care until the Foundation releases them back into the wild in areas similar to where they were found in hopes of making a comeback into the wild.
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How to help
If you want to support the work of The Aspinall Foundation to protect and reintroduce endangered animals to the wild, then click on the donate button and go to their website.
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