SOS Primates is made up of a multidisciplinary team of committed people who work in the fields of primatology, animal wellbeing and biodiversity conservation. The majority have worked and helped in primate rescue centres in various countries, experiencing first-hand the situation facing this group of animals. In fact, it was at the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that the idea to create SOS Primates was born, due to the constant arrival of baby chimpanzees from the illegal trafficking industry and the urgent need for more financial help to allow the project to continue. This is how our two co-founders, Laia Dotras and Raúl Cabrera, founded SOS Primates in 2012, with the aim of educating people about the different issues affecting primates and supporting projects working to conserve these species. Accompanied by people with other skills who want to help the cause in their own way, we hope to continue growing and to be able to count on your support.
Meet our team
Graduate in Biology from the University of Barcelona, he’s been working with primates under human protection and in conservation projects for more than 25 years. He has educated and collaborated at centers like Mona Foundation, Zoo Aquarium of Madrid, Durrell Wildlife Preservation Trust, Orangutan Foundation, Limbe Wildlife Center, the Barcelona Zoo, where he currently works, and others.
He co-founded SOSPrimates in 2012 and since then he has not ceased fighting for the primates’ wellbeing and habitats. The values he defends every day in the association, which were transmitted primarily from his mother are empathy, transparency, dedication, perseverance, and respect.
Sometimes we find it hard to stop and value what we have achieved, but don’t forget it’s something very big.
She is a graduate in Biology from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and also has a master’s degree in Biodiversity and a Certificate in Pedagogical Aptitude in Science. She has also trained as assistant in assisted therapies with animals and is certified as auxiliary veterinarian. She currently works in this profession at the Barcelona Zoo.
She has collaborated with SOS Primates since its beginning. What she loves the most about it is to raise awareness more and more in people about contributing to projects that, although distant, are in greatest need. That is why, besides helping primates, her main goal is to educate the society we live in through the actions and values of the organization.
SOS Primates is more than an NGO; it is a big family with a common goal.
Graduate in Early Childhood Education from the Rey Juan Carlos University and Veterinary student from the Universidad Complutense of Madrid. She has additional education on primates, marine mammals, and other species from Seawolves and on small and exotic animals from the Veterinary Clinical Hospital of Madrid.
She collaborates with SOS Primates in diverse tasks like communication, administration, delivery management, event coordination and craft fabrication to gather funds. She is an example of dedication for many volunteers of the organization, and a loyal defender of the precept that if you want to help an NGO like this one, you only need enthusiasm to do it.
SOS Primates has become my life master, a place where I have grown and matured as a person. I attribute a part of who I am today to the association, that is why it will always be a part of me.
She holds a degree in Forestry Engineering from the University of Lleida and a degree in Early Childhood Education from the UOC. She is an environmental educator and has organised many courses on flora and fauna conservation, renewable energies and zoology, among others.
Her collaboration within the association is excellent and she stands out for her companionship and resilience. Although she focuses on the more educational areas within the association, she is a real all-rounder and also collaborates in events and fairs, among others.
If there is one thing that SOS Primates teaches you, it is to always be committed and believe in everything you do.
With a degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Cáceres, she decided to hang up her coat a few years ago and help animals beyond these borders through her collaboration with SOS Primates.
She is one of the most valued volunteers because she is not afraid of any task that is proposed to her and is willing to contribute and implement her own ideas in order to continue growing with the association. Some of her tasks include designing calendars or images for social networks, managing the website or editing videos, among others.
Collaborating with SOS Primates is fulfilling because we don’t only help primates, but we fight to preserve their environment and support their communities.
Both in Barcelona and Madrid, SOS Primates has people committed to our cause who dedicate their different skills, their energy and their free time to carry out the objectives of the organisation. All the people who make up SOS Primates are volunteers. And we are driven by the desire to help improve the situation suffered by many primate species, raising public awareness and seeking funds to help stop poaching and illegal trafficking, collaborating with rescue centres in situ, specifically with the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Centre in the DR Congo.
We are currently looking for people who want to collaborate with us doing translations, graphic design of materials and administrative tasks. If you want to be part of our team, please write to info@sosprimates.org.
The CRPL has an extraordinary team of 55 workers who dedicate themselves body and soul to caring for the resident primates. Some of them have been with the project since the first chimpanzee arrived in 2002! The team is divided into three groups: the veterinary team, who look after the health of all the animals, the chimpanzee keepers, who provide professional care and ensure the welfare of the more than 90 rescued chimpanzees, and the monkey keepers, who are highly trained in the handling of the various species housed and require specific care. The logistics and kitchen team ensures that all the primates receive a balanced and varied diet, preparing the six daily meals that monkeys and chimpanzees receive. Since August 2015, the CRPL has been directed by the Basque biologist Itsaso Vélez del Burgo Guinea.