Our organisation

AAP has a staff of over 100 employees and more than 200 volunteers.

Most of them work in animal care, but we also have employees who work on better legislation in Europe, talk to donors, keep the the administration in order or maintain the grounds and buildings. Everyone contributes to help the animals!

Did you know that…

  • a number of co-workers have been working at AAP for a very long time and were even around when AAP was still at its first location in Amstelveen?
  • many co-workers and volunteers come from abroad and therefore a lot of English is spoken at both shelters?
  • AAP was set up in 1972 by Okko and Riga Reussien?
"As a behavioural biologist at AAP, I observe animals with behavioural problems. It is great to see how we can help animals with appropriate solutions and allow them to live together with conspecifics again!"
Kelly Lavooij - van Leeuwen
Behavioural biologist
"I am happy that we can give the animals a bright future again. The stories behind the animals are sometimes too absurd to believe. The fact that a defenceless animal repeatedly suffers because of our humanity is something you never get used to."
Gijs Vereenooghe
Experienced animal caretaker
"Being able to reunite animals that have never been with conspecifics in their entire lives, to be able to give them a better future at AAP, is my motivation. The work is different every day, so it is never boring!"
Tessa Gerritsma
Experienced animal caretaker
"The best thing about working as an animal caretaker at AAP, is that you can show other people how special animals are. And that we can contribute to their recovery, when we take good care of them. "
Joāo Castelo
Experienced animal caretaker
"The best thing about taking care of the big cats at AAP, is to see them transform into the majestic animals they are; the kings and queens of the jungle. Because of their past, they often seem so small when they arrive at AAP. "
Jolien Geens
Experienced animal caretaker big cats
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The board of AAP

Want to know more about the people who run AAP? Then take a look at the overview of the Supervisory Board, the Executive Board and the Management Team.

The history of AAP

Okko and Riga Reussien, a married couple, rescued their first monkey in the sixties. In the seventies, on April 14th 1972, Stichting AAP was founded.