At first glance, the okapi may seem to be a bizarre looking zebra, but the animal is,
in fact, its own unique species, more closely related to the giraffe.
Okapis are native to the rainforests of central Africa, with remaining populations only existing
in the northeastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, primarily in the Ituri
Rainforest.
The range of the okapi may have once been much larger in decades and centuries past.
The habitat that okapis thrive in are closed, high canopy rainforests where gaps in the
trees often serve as foraging sites.
The animals have a dark reddish coat over much of their body, while the horizontal white
stripes on their rumps and portions of their legs are reminiscent of zebras.
The patterns of stripes are unique to each animal and the markings help young okapi follow
their mothers through the dense forest.
The stripes also serve as camouflage in the filtered light of the rainforest understory,
protecting the animals from being detected by the leopards that prey upon them.
Their large ears also help them to hear danger approaching.
They have a whitish face with a dark muzzle.
Okapis reach a length of about 1.9 to 2.5 meters (6.2 to 8.2 feet) and a height of about
1.5 to 2 meters at the shoulder (4.9 to 6.6 feet).
They weigh between 200 to 350 kilograms (440 to 770 pounds).
Females are slightly larger than males.
Their coats are short, sleek, oily, and velvety, helping to repel the considerable amount of
rain in their forest home.
The darker parts of their coat may appear deep red, maroon, brown, or black depending
on the angle of the light.
Being the closest living relative to the giraffe, the okapi has a very similar body shape, except
for their much shorter neck.
Male okapis have short, skin and fur-covered horns called ossicones, as do giraffes.
These are made up of ossified cartilage rather than antlers on deer that are derived from
bone tissue.
Okapis and giraffes both walk by simultaneously stepping with the front and hind leg on the
same side of the body, rather than moving alternate legs on either side, as other ungulates
do.
Okapis also have to spread their front legs like giraffes in order to bend down to drink
water.
Both giraffes and okapis have long, prehensile tongues that are bluish-gray in color and
can be used to groom their own eyelids, ears, and nostrils.
The tongue is used to draw food into their mouth as they feed on tree leaves, buds, soft
twigs, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungi.
They are known to consume over 100 different plant species.
Okapis eat between 20 to 27 kilograms (45 to 60 pounds) of vegetation each day.
They also visit riverbeds in their rainforest habitat to eat the clay found there, which
meets their mineral and salt requirements.
Unlike giraffes, okapis are never found in herds.
They are essentially solitary animals, only coming together for mating.
The only exceptions to this are mothers and their offspring.
Scent glands just above the hooves are used to leave a trail through the forest to mark
male territories.
The males then mate with females who pass through their domains.
Females are able to have offspring at 2 years of age and calves are born after about 15
months of gestation.
The newborn calves are able to stand within 30 minutes after birth and will nurse within
the first hour.
They are weaned after about 6 months.
The life expectancy of an okapi is about 20 to 30 years.
One of the most amazing facts about the okapi is that this beautiful and unusual animal
only became known to science in the year 1901.
Rumors of a jungle species of zebra was first brought to European attention after British
explorer, Henry Morton Stanley’s journeys into the Ituri Rainforest in 1887.
Stanley later became famous for his search for David Livingstone, whom Stanley allegedly
asked upon finding him, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”
In 1901, the British Governor of Uganda, Harry Johnston discovered some pygmy inhabitants
of the Congo being abducted by a showman for exhibition.
He rescued them and helped return them to their home in the Belgian Congo.
During this trip, Johnston was told of the okapi and remains of a carcass were sent to
London.
The discovery of this new animal caused a media sensation.
Even though 1901 marks the discovery of the okapi by western science, the animal had been
known by native people for centuries, who often used the skins of the animals in crafting
objects of importance, such as this harp with an okapi skin.
The earliest known depiction of an okapi comes from the 5th century BCE on the facade of
the Apadana at Persepolis in modern day Iran.
The okapi may have been given as a gift from Ethiopian ambassadors to the Achaemenid Kingdom
at the time.
The first photograph of a living okapi was taken in 1907 of this young calf.
The first living okapi to arrive in Europe was in 1918 at the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.
In 1935, the king of Belgium presented an okapi as a gift to the Prince of Wales.
The prince provided the animal to the London Zoo where a living okapi was seen for the
first time by residents of England.
The first okapi in North America arrived in 1937 at the Bronx Zoo.
The first okapi birth in captivity was in 1941 at the Stanleyville Zoo in the Belgian
Congo.
As of 2014, 176 okapis are in zoos with 94 in the United States, 69 in Europe, 7 in Japan,
4 in the United Arab Emirates, and 2 in South Africa.
Although the keeping of exotic animals like okapis as pets is not supported by zoologists,
a small number of the animals are known to be held in private collections.
Former American football quarterback, Bernie Kosar for example, admitted in a 2014 interview
that he keeps 25 okapi on his Ohio farm.
He apparently started with two as a present for his kids, but they later multiplied.
Back in the okapi’s native home of the Ituri Rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, human population has increased from about 12 million people in 1950 to over 78
million people in 2014.
This rapid growth has led to increased logging and deforestation to make way for more agricultural
areas to grow crops, threatening the okapi’s continued existence.
Okapis, along with several other wild animals, are hunted for bush meat for consumption and
also for their valued skins.
The widespread illegal occupation of lands that are supposed to be protected wildlife
areas continues to destroy habitat as well.
A 2013 study determined there are less than 10,000 okapis remaining in the wild down from
over 40,000 only 10 years prior.
These alarming numbers led to the animal’s re-classification as an endangered species
in August 2013.
If effective conservation is not established and maintained within the next few years,
the okapi faces an eminent trend toward extinction.
While individuals may continue to survive in captivity, once a species’ numbers decline
to extreme lows, much of the genetic diversity of the species is lost.
This permanently alters the animals’ characteristics and extremely restricts the viability for
survival of the species.
Efforts by zoos and conservation organizations to help the species and protect their rainforest
habitat are the best hope for the okapi.
The Okapi Conservation Project was founded in 1987 for the protection of the species
and their habitat.
In 1992, the organization helped to create the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, which occupies
one fifth of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri Rainforest.
The reserve has been named a United Nations World Heritage Site, but continued poaching,
illegal encroachment upon the reserve for mining and logging, as well as ongoing violence
from the political struggles of civil war in the region, threaten the okapi’s survival.
Since 1997, the reserve has been listed as a world heritage site in danger.
The Okapi Conservation Project has about 100 staff members and over 100 government rangers
who patrol the reserve to protect against poachers.
In June 2012, the headquarters for the organization was assaulted by elephant poachers, intent
on retaliation against the staff who had been stopping their poaching and illegal mining
operations.
Six guards and staff, as well as 13 “ambassador” okapi who lived at the center and were used
for educational purposes were killed in the attack.
Among the dead were two rangers, a government official, two villagers, and the wife of a
third ranger - a revenge killing by poachers who had been arrested by her husband in the
past.
The conservation center was looted and burned.
A 14th okapi later died of its wounds.
The center was repaired and the organization has since rebounded.
It currently continues in its efforts to protect the okapi, but there is still much work to
be done.
If you’re interested in helping protect the okapi, consider making a small donation
to the Okapi Conservation Project by visiting their website.
You can also view a video there to learn more about their conservation efforts.
Another important contribution you can make to the okapi and other endangered animals
is to share information about them to spread knowledge on these unique creatures and their
imperiled status.
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