The Amazing Okapi

Deep within the secrets of the Ituri Rainforest found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa lives a very mysterious and lovely animal. This is the Okapi pronounced oh-cop-ee. This mysterious animal was almost mythical to the Europeans who sought it out in the late 1800's. It was often referred to as the "African Unicorn" because so many men wanted to find evidence of the creatures existence and yet expedition after expedition produced nothing. While these early explorers thought that they were searching for a type of African donkey that idea would be changed with a few stripes. In 1902 Sir Henry Johnston produced the first evidence that this creature was real with some small samples of dark brown to black fur that had white stripes. It was quickly announced to be a new type of zebra and it would be another two years before a full skeleton and pelt would be discovered changing the announcement to a relative of the giraffe family.

Shortly after this time carvings of the Okapi showed up in Egypt proving that the ancient Egyptians new about the Okapi long before the European scientific community. By 1918 the first live Okapi was brought to Belgium for further studies. Quickly, zoos around the world sought to obtain their own Okapi and one arrived in the USA to live at the Bronx zoo in 1937. The first Okapi baby born in captivity was at the Brookfield Zoo in Illinois. Okapi breeding programs have since then produced a number of offspring and have continued to supply animals to zoos around the world.

Remaining Elusive.
It is the elusive and solitary existence of this animal that kept it hidden from explorers of the Congo for so long. Each Okapi spends most of its life alone, getting together to breed, with the offspring spending two to three years with their mothers. In addition to its solitary lifestyle and its shyness it is well adapted to the rainforest and well camouflaged. Its fur is a rich brown color along most of its body with darkening around the rump and forelegs. The legs and hind quarters are covered with white stripes causing many people to link them with Zebras. While not at all related to the Zebras these stripes break up its body coloring making it harder to see among grasses and short branches of plants along the ground.

Characteristics of the Okapi.
Its fur is thick and rich feeling like velvet. It is also oily and keeps water off of the animal by having it roll right off. Other then the white stripes that remind people of zebras it shares many characteristics with its closest relative the giraffe. This includes body and head shape, large long ears, and even a long blue tongue. While the Okapi has a much shorter neck then the giraffe it still remains fairly long compared to similar animals such as zebras and gazelles. The Okapi is about 465-565 pounds and it stands about 6.5 feet tall. One of its more interesting features is its long tongue that is often 12-14 inches long and used for cleaning the eyelids and ears. The Okapi is the only animal that can lick its own ears and it is known for rigorous cleaning habits as it washes its whole body at least once a day. Male okapi also have small skin covered horns similar to those of giraffes.

The Feeding habits of the Okapi.
The okapi also uses its long tongue to pull leaves, softer branches, and fruit from tree branches. It often eats as much as 40-65 pounds of vegetation in a single day. They have also been seen eating clay and burnt charcoal, but this is rare and probably for minerals.

Behavior of the Okapi.
This animal has a large territory that only slightly overlaps with other okapi. It communicates with the okapi that come across its territory with scent glands that are found in the feet. As it walks a sticky scent is left behind for other okapi that might come across the path of the animal. This animal eats during the day and is known for hiding the deepest and thickest regions of the rainforest making it a hard creature to find in the wild. They also have excellent hearing that help aid it in survival. Its only enemy (other then mankind) is the leopard, but it often hears the animal and can hide quickly. The okapi lives to be about 30 years old in captivity. Data is not available to know the life span of the creature in the wild, but it is believed that most okapi live to be between 15-30 years in the wild. Unlike the giraffe, the okapi isn't a silent animal and will emit noises toward other okapi that it comes across, during the mating ritual, and to communicate with its young.

Okapi breeding.
A male will begin to follow around a female when she starts to be in heat. Sometimes more then one male will start following her and then they will fight over her using their long necks to wrestle each other around. After breeding has taken place the male leaves. The female carries the baby for 14-15 months before giving birth to a single calf of identical coloring. Size and a small ruffle of fur along the spine are the only thing to separate the look of this young one from its parent. The mother will hide her offspring in a thick place coming to feed him or her whenever she can. The baby will remain quiet and still, not even defecating to protect it from predators. After eight weeks, the baby will have gained enough size and strength to begin following its mother through the rainforest. It will continue to nurse till about 12-14 months old. However, it will usually stay with its mother for two to three years. At three years the calf will reach full size. Most okapi mothers will only breed after her offspring has left, but a few have bred before this time and produce a new offspring shortly after the older one has left.

Okapi concerns.
Okapi aren't considered endangered, however hunting and slash and burn farming techniques have made it harder and harder for this animal. It is estimated that about 30,000 animals are still in the wild with many of them being pushed back and crowding their territories. Much of the hunting of this animal isn't for food for the local population, though some of it. Okapi remains a valuable trade meat and is often sold at large sums for commercial markets where the meat is sold to tourists. While the animal has been protected against hunting since 1933, it is still common practice today.

In 1987 the Okapi Conservation Project began. It started by setting aside a large portion of land for the okapi. It is believed that about 5,000 of the 30,000 wild okapi live in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve which is about 8,500 square miles of land. However, the Conservation Project goes further by providing training and equipment for wildlife guards, providing community sources for those living near the reserve (including but not limited to clean water sources, medicines, schooling supplies, seeds, education in agriculture, and alternative protein sources), education especially in the areas of wild life conservation and farming techniques, and care for a managed breeding and researched group of okapi. This program is likely to aid in keeping a fairly large okapi population in the wild.

This animal is beautiful and unique in its own sense, however the fact that it is the only living relative of the giraffe makes it a very interesting pair. With some of the most unique behavior and coloration found in nature this animal is becoming more and more known as time goes on. However, learning a little more about animals, including the okapi, is worth the little bit of effort it takes.