Former pet puma Mikulas is exploring his outdoor enclosure for the first time. He will now have all the time he needs to settle in – and once he does, we hope he will enjoy his complete freedom to explore and climb in this vast enclosure. #WildAnimalsNotPets

Some form strong social bonds. Others are remarkable problem-solvers. And some are experts at filling their cheek pouches with food to enjoy later. No two primates are the same. But here’s something that unites them: they all deserve our protection. #InternationalPrimateDay

Common marmosets Minnie & Miko were bred in Slovenia and kept as pets in Croatia. For years, they lived in conditions that were not suited to the complex needs of such an intelligent and active species. #WildAnimalsNotPets

A few days ago, tigress Saphira and her five young stepped in their outside enclosure at AAP Spain for the very first time. 🎥 Thanks to the cameras around the enclosure, we're able to share this special moment with you.

Rescued from a former circus performer’s facility in Germany, Saphira and her young are doing well at AAP Spain. Today marked a big milestone: they took their first steps into their outdoor enclosure📸 Jolien Geens, Big Cat Caretaker at AAP Spain

At AAP we are dedicated to helping wild animals. Not only by giving them a better life at our rescue centres, but also by preventing wild animals from ending up as pets in the first place. Sign the petition for an EU-wide #PositiveList en.aap.eu/eu-petition #WildAnimalsNotPets

For the first 10 years of his life, puma Mikulas was kept as a pet in the Czech Republic. But a private home can never provide what a wild animal like Mikulas truly needs. #WildAnimalsNotPets - en.aap.eu/eu-petition

The young Barbary macaques Chitto and Lu - both former pets - have been introduced at our rescue centre in Spain. And they immediately hit it off! Finally, they are living together with other animals of their own species. #WildAnimalsNotPets

Every living being has its place in the #CircleOfLife. For too many lions, that circle has been broken. Bred for entertainment, bought as status symbols, kept as pets. At AAP, we rescue them, provide specialist care and let them be lions again. 🦁 #WorldLionDay #AnimalWelfare

Chimpanzee Peggy was rescued from a German circus with her sister Babsie in 2001. After many happy years at AAP, we sadly had to say goodbye to her following a long battle with chronic kidney disease. In this video, we look back on her remarkable life. 💚

People think sugar gliders make good pets, but they don't. These social animals live in groups in forest habitats. Alone, they can become depressed and harm themselves. Watch two sugar gliders at AAP meet for the first time – a small step toward a better life. #WildAnimalsNotPets

Did you know that there is no federal legislation in Germany prohibiting people from keeping wild mammals as pets? 💔The result is a life of suffering in captivity for many wild animals, like Barbary macaques Xarly and Filix. #WildAnimalsNotPets #EUPositiveList

Recently, young chimpanzee Giggi was able to explore his outdoor enclosure for the first time! Giggi was kept illegally as a pet in Italy. He was chained and lived without any companions of his own kind. At AAP, he learns how to be a “chimpanzee” again #WildAnimalsNotPets

Serval Whisper was bought as a young animal via an online marketplace in the Netherlands. But as she grew up, it became clear that a living room and a small kennel are not suitable places for a wild animal like this #WildAnimalsNotPets #EUPositiveList #AnimalWelfare

Barbary macaque Chitto was torn from his mother at a young age and given as birthday gift in Germany. He was in poor mental health because he missed out on crucial early socialisation with fellow primates. At AAP, he is back among his own kind #WildAnimalsNotPets #EUPositiveList

The moment that 13 Barbary macaques - the second group from our #BorntobeWild-project - regained their freedom and began their new lives in Morocco’s beautiful Tazekka National Park has been caught on camera! 🎥

After spending his entire life in a Portugese #circus, #tiger Sona is now venturing #outside for the first time – experiencing the feeling of grass under his paws. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalProtection

"Future generations will look back at our era with disbelief, asking how we ever imagined that affection could excuse possession." Exceptional essay on the ethics of exotic pet ownership by Rhiannon Gee, published by the @ethics_centre: ethics.org.au/illegal-animal…

AAP rescued Sona from a circus in Portugal, where he had been living in a cramped trailer. Portugal's ban on the use of wild animals in entertainment has led to justice for Sona, but more animals are suffering in circuses across the EU. We need an EU-level ban. #AnimalWelfare

Last October, 15 Barbary macaques were returned to the wild in Morocco’s Tazekka National Park. In this video, you can see the macaques in their mountainous habitat, captured through the lenses of the monitoring team’s binoculars. #BornToBeWild