History AAP

Okko and Riga

In the sixties of the previous century, Okko and Riga Reussien started out by rescuing animals in their home in Amstelveen. Because they felt for intelligent animals such as primates, they couldn't bear seeing them dumped when their owners found them unsuitable as pets. But it wasn't just primates they took in; a large number of parrots, turtles, crocodiles, bird spiders and other animals also found their way to this rescue centre for exotic animals.

Dianthus greenhouse

The official founding date for AAP was 12 April 1972. In the following years, Okko and Riga continued their work in an old dianthus greenhouse at the Legmeerdijk in Amstelveen. AAP now got involved in building a legal framework with regard to exotic animals in the Netherlands. Later on, once the new laws were enforced, AAP turned out to be the only suitable location to house animals after they had been confiscated.

Moving to Almere

In the late eighties, the municipality of Amstelveen decided AAP should leave its location at the Legmeerdijk, so a new location was sought. Okko Reussien passed away in 1995, and he didn't see the new rescue centre built in Almere, in 1996. However his wife Riga made the move to Almere with AAP in 1996, and she remained closely involved with AAP's work for a long time.

Specialization

When it became clear that the internal European borders would be disappearing, AAP decided to specialize in mammals from the whole of Europe. For animals not included in this specialization, shelter was found with partner organizations.