Aspinall, John Victor

▪ 2001

      British gambling tycoon and zoo owner (b. June 11, 1926, Delhi, India—d. June 29, 2000, London, Eng.), established two wild-animal parks in the English countryside and financed them with profits he made from running private London gambling clubs, some of which he established during a period when such clubs were illegal. Despite financial and legal difficulties, as well as several fatal attacks on zookeepers, Aspinall's parks housed more than 1,000 exotic animals and had considerable success with breeding programs for such species as snow leopards, gorillas, elephants, black rhinos, and, especially, Siberian tigers. Aspinall also wrote on conservation issues, notably The Best of Friends (1976).

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