DAMIAN Aspinall and partner Donna Air, who is soon to give birth to the couple's first child, enthusiastically feed the lemurs at Howletts.

It is a regular event for the couple and Mr Aspinall's children. They can often be spotted feeding the animals from baskets of fruit and vegetables after visitors to the wildlife park have packed up and gone home.

The animals know them and none more so than the gorillas.

Mr Aspinall, son of the parks' founder, the late John Aspinall, said: "I have been involved with the gorillas all my life and I consider some of them as my best friends.

"I was very close to the seven orphan gorillas and I used to go and see them every day I was here."

Mr Aspinall's passion for the primates is understandable. He grew up with gorillas who were being hand-reared by his mother and grandmother at the family home.

But his enthusiasm is obviously catching. His partner, former Big Breakfast presenter Donna Air, who is eight months pregnant, is more than willing to hand-rear a gorilla alongside their own baby, should one be rejected by its own mother and in need of someone to step in.

Having seen the two babies that have gone to Gabon in Africa Ima and Kido being hand-reared, has only increased this wish.

She said: "We spent a lot of time with the babies. It's the first time I have seen such small gorillas and it made me more open to hand-rearing them in the future. Damian has always said with a gorilla you have got a friend for life."

Saying goodbye to Ima and Kido was hard for everyone. On the night of their departure, there were tears from Mr Aspinall's children. But, as he explained to them, it is a better life for them in their natural environment.

Damian said: "It is hard but you have to think of what is best for these gorillas and also for gorillas as a species. It is sad that we are losing friends but we try to look at the other side of things.

"What differentiates us from other wildlife parks is that we really do believe in sending animals back to the wild.

"A lot of other people talk about it, but don't do it. We are following my father's dream of breeding and returning animals to the wild."

The project in the Bateke Plateau National Park, that has enabled the Kent captive-born gorillas the chance of freedom, is one of two in Africa run by The John Aspinall Foundation, the charity that funds Howletts and Port Lympne.

On protected land, it is dedicated to combating the devastation caused to the gorilla population by the bush meat trade and provides a "safe space" for gorillas orphaned by hunters.

Donna said: "When I went to the Gabon last year, it gave me a bigger picture of what the work and role of Howletts and Port Lympne is all about.

"It doesn't stop here. Seeing what the people do all-year round is amazing. It really did open my eyes and made me more aware of the what they are doing in the long-term."