Original article with photos here AAPrimate Rehabilitation Center Kemphaanpad 1 1358 AC Almere, Holland Stichting AAP - Home 120 primates from which 37 chimpanzees The APP center is a rehabilitation center focused on primates. The animals are brought from different places where they have been mistreated or where the individuals were incapable to integrate with peers. The main purpose of the center is to rehabilitate apes from the behavioral point of view and try to integrate the individuals into social groups. Once this is accomplished the animals are introduced in zoos or other types of animal parks which posses the facility to keep them in an adequate environment. The center provides for visitors an education building and the possibility to see an enclosure with the shape of an island where a macaque group could be seen . The actual station where the rehabilitation is taking place is not accessible for visitors. Our group had the opportunity to enter and have a private guide that explained the particularity of the station. The Rehab center was built once the European Union interdicted experiments on primates and with pressure from the public the state funded the construction of a station which would take care of the chimpanzees from the laboratories. With time and public support the station became larger and now is not only taking care of chimps but also of other monkeys and animals that had a history of abuse and behavioral problems. Chimpanzees: Having a high level of security, the Chimpanzees enclosure is the main focus of the center. Beside the individual boxes, there is a high fence, surrounded by a water pond in which there is also a high voltage electrical fence. All those precautions were made to keep inside some of the chimps that were old laboratory animals and are infected with SIV (Simian immunodeficiency virus) and Hepatitis B. Considering the interspecific transmission to humans due to fluid retention of the Hepatitis B virus, the employees do not handle the chimps by direct physical contact and are always wearing protective suits when entering the animals boxes. Chimpanzee with SIV will not present clinical signs. Those individuals will not be relocated anywhere. Beside those, other chimpanzees were confiscated or came from private owners, laboratories, circuses or zoos from across Europe. It seems that the biggest problem is coming especially from the private owners which are reluctant to keep the animals once they grow in age and are not as cute and easy to handle anymore. Being a limited number of boxes and logistic, for chimpanzees, there is a waiting list . For all new entries in the rehab station, there is a 3 months quarantine period to be undertaken, or 6 weeks if they poses a BALEI certificate (quarantine certificate). As said earlier, the main goal is to rehabilitate the new comers and, afterwards, send them as a group to zoos; process which usually takes more than one year. Enrichment is used and individual measures are taken frequently in the rehab process. Unsuccessful rehabilitation would be a reason for euthanasia but has not yet occurred. Approach to rehabilitation of Chimpanzee: 1. Several animals are placed in side-by-side cages, under visual contact, if 3 times in a row they are showing friendly behavior, the next step is taken 2.The are placed in Side-by-side cages with larger holes for physical contact, if after 3 times, the chimps are showing a friendly behavior, the next step is taken 3. They are left together in 2 cages with 2 openings, so it would give escape routes for the suppressed and the animals can be easily separated Other species in the station: Barbary apes: Macaca sylvanus It seems that many individuals from this species are being smuggled from Morocco and being kept as pets. Because of this, awareness campaign are being made in France and other countries, to make the public understand the consequences of those actions. The animals are being fed with pellets as basic food and fruits. From the social point of view the macaques live in a matriarchal society, disrupting this relationship, by having a large number of males in the same group could lead to a high potential of aggression or auto-mutilation. Castration of all animals could provide a ultimate solution in critical situations. Parasitic infestations is seen in young animals only when the stress factor exists- especially protozoa. Paviane / Baboon: The baboons have a social structure where in one group there are several harems, eventually with more castrated males. One problem that the center is having is that, because of the fast-growing population of Barbary apes and Pavian groups in the zoos, they are difficult to be re-homed. The center is also taking care of different other species of animals, which the visitors could see. Raccoons: They are relatively easy to take care of and are attractive for visitors. Coati : As a remainder, there are three types of coatis: • the South American Coati (Nasua Nasua) • the white snout-Coati (Nasua narica) • the Nelson Coati (Nasua nelsoni) A separate genus, the Nasuella olivacea, lives in in the Andean valleys of northwestern South America. They are very active animals, showing a constant need to climb. To provide an adequate living place, the cages should be tall with climbing opportunities, eg. ropes, branches of trees, ladders. An unsuitable environment for the coati will provoke easily stereotypic behavior, especially in males. Seasonal behavior: The males live a solitary life and during the mating season they became aggressive. This aggressive pattern is the main reason to castrate the males if they are living in a group. Also the females are showing aggressiveness during the breeding period. Squirrel: They easily develop extreme stereotypes, because of this large enclosures and enrichment is needed.prairie dog Prairie Dog / Cynomys: Seasonal aggression behavior. AAP is also working with a recently built rehab station in Spain, called Prima-Domus, which is offering the monkeys a more close to nature climate, considering the geografical position of the center. - Ovidiu Rosu
