A Visit to Stichting AAP, Holland’s Premier Primate Sanctuary

Dianne Taylor-Snow, IPPL Board Chairwoman September 2007

It’s always good to visit old friends.

Shirley McGreal and I attended the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in The Hague this past June. There are times during these conferences that one actually wants to pull one’s hair out. There is so much tension, as nations are often at loggerheads with each other over controversial issues such as ivory trafficking. Japan’s constant battles to reopen the ivory trade are wearisome.

So, when we discovered that Stichting AAP had arranged a weekend day trip to visit their facility in Almere, an hour-anda- half’s bus ride away from the conference center, I was just delighted. The excursion was planned for members of the Species Survival Network (SSN), a coalition of nongovernmental organizations (including IPPL) that promotes the implementation of the CITES treaty to protect endangered species from international trade. What a relief to spend the day with like-minded people at a place I had heard so much about and always wanted to see!

I have attended every biennial IPPL Members’ Meeting—except for the first one, when I was on assignment in Thailand caring for the smuggled orangutans that comprised the Bangkok Six. At IPPL, I’ve met our Dutch friends David van Gennep (the Director of AAP and an IPPL Overseas Representative), Hilko Wiersema (also an IPPL Representative), and long-time IPPL member Wim de Kok, who have attended most of IPPL’s Members’ Meetings and made presentations about their projects.

Now, Shirley and I finally had a chance to visit “their home.” AAP was founded in 1972 by Okko and Riga Reussien and served as a “way station” or temporary housing for exotic pets, mainly monkeys and apes, who had outgrown their “cute” stages. In 1996, the sanctuary moved to spacious grounds at Almere. It is now the premier primate sanctuary in the European Union.

As of 1 July 2007, AAP was home to a total of 274 mammals. The resident primates include 43 chimpanzees and 136 other primates, including Barbary macaques and hamadryas baboons. Twenty-eight of the chimpanzees came to AAP from the Biomedical Primate Research Center in Rijswijk. The rest come from assorted backgrounds, such as trade, the entertainment business, or pet situations. Ten of the chimpanzees had been experimentally infected with HIV and 18 were infected with hepatitis C. These chimpanzees will enjoy lives free from human exploitation at AAP.

Upon arrival at the sanctuary, we split up into small groups and got the grand tour of the grounds. In addition to monkeys and apes, the sanctuary takes in other exotic animals such as raccoons, skunks, squirrels, flying foxes, dingos, kinkajous and, yes, even prairie dogs! Hopefully, these unwanted creatures can be nursed back to health, both physically and emotionally, and placed in new homes where they will live out their lives in a natural, happy environment.

From the old and new office buildings and enclosures for the assorted animals mentioned above, it’s a long hike through a meadow down to the state-of-the-art building that houses our chimp cousins who have been infected with HIV and other diseases. There are many restrictions upon entrance to the building, and some of the areas are completely off limits to visitors, as we did not have the protective clothing needed. But the happy collection of chimpanzees we did see was amazing. Their living quarters were spacious, both inside and out. Many of these chimpanzees had lived in restricted housing, and this was the first time they had ever seen sunlight. They were provided with special, healthy diets, climbing ropes and hammocks, grass under their feet, and a wonderful staff to tend to them. It was a heartwarming experience.

Back at the office we were treated to a delicious lunch. David gave a talk on the progress AAP is making and talked about the 180 hectares (about 450 acres) of land purchased at Costa Blanca, in the southern part of Spain. This facility is called “Primadomus” (which means “house for primates”) and will offer lifetime care for primates. Among the first Primadomus presidents will be the noninfected chimpanzees.

One of the highlights of the visit was meeting Riga Reussien, one of the original founders of AAP and a pioneer in the area of European sanctuaries. It was a pleasant experience watching Shirley and Riga renew an old friendship.

Thanks to David, Hilko, Wim, Riga, and all the staff for a wonderful day. The next day we returned to the tedious conference sessions refreshed by our day off.

Pictured right: left to right, Stichting AAP’s director David van Gennep, AAP’s co-founder Riga Reussien, and IPPL’s own founder Shirley McGreal. Above, rescued chimps enjoy compassionate care at the Dutch facility.