Babydoll

Babydoll (1961 - 28th November 2018) was a western lowland gorilla who resided at Howletts Wildlife Park in Kent, England for majority of her life, until her death on the 28th November 2018 at which time she was possibly the oldest gorilla in the United Kingdom and one of the oldest in Europe. She was certainly the oldest female gorilla in the United Kingdom, however Old Bob may have been slightly older, as the exact order of the oldest gorillas in the United Kingdom is unknown as Babydoll’s exact date of birth is unknown. She was born in 1961 in Cameroon and was orphaned at which point she was taken to the Howletts Wildlife Park in Kent, England and hand-reared by John Aspinall, the Park’s founder and had a close relationship with his son, Damien Aspinall. She gave birth to seven children, Kisabu (1975-1975), Kibabu (1977-2018), Kibobo (1980-2001), Kabi (1982-1984), Tambabi (born 1986), an unnamed son (1988-1988), Mambi (born 1990) and Tamidol (born 1998), several of whom have now returned to the wild. One of her grandsons became one of the first western lowland gorillas to be returned to the wild by the Aspinall Foundation. Three of her children outlived her. She was euthanised on the 28th November 2018 after she refused to eat for four days and attempts to revive her, by Damien Aspinall, including syringe feeding her failed, he said “Very sadly and with a very heavy heart I may have to euthanise her to stop her suffering. Heartbroken.” She was reported to have a fondness for apple blossom and cheddar cheese. She was missed by several members of the Aspinall Family, particularly Damien Aspinall who had known her his entire life, and had a close bond. He named a new Italian restaurant in her honour after her death. Following her death, many visitors to the zoo expressed their sadness.