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Okapia johnstoni Region: Central Africa |
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 Species Survival PlansTM are multizoo breeding programs for endangered species.  |
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A Rainforest Wonder Where are okapi found? Okapi live in the wild in only one country in the world, the Democratic Republic of Congo (or the DRC, formerly known as Zaire) in Africa. They’re found in tropical forests in the northeastern part of the DRC. They live at pretty high altitudes, between 500 and 1,000 meters (between about 1,500 and 3,300 feet), where the days are warm and humid and the nights are cool. In the forest, okapi stay within certain areas—called “home ranges”—that may or may not include other okapi. Home ranges of female okapi cover several square kilometers. Adult males have larger home ranges of about 10.5 square km, and they may wander up to 4 km in a day. American and European scientists didn’t know about okapi until about 1900, but okapi were well-known by Africans long before that. To people of the DRC, the okapi is a very special animal. It is now the symbol of conservation for the country. People who live near okapi respect them because of their elegant appearance and elusive ways. To these people, okapi represent the purity of the forest because okapi inhabit the deepest parts of it which have been undisturbed by humans. What do okapi look like? Okapi are about 2.5 meters long and about 1.5 meters high at the head. They weigh between 200 and 300 kilograms, about as much as a small horse. Females are a little larger than males. Okapi have a short, velvety coat that is dark reddish-brown to almost black. They have creamy white stripes on their hind end and front upper legs, and white “ankle stockings” on their lower legs. The stripes help okapi blend into the shadows of the forest and make them very difficult to see, even when they are only a few feet away. Okapi have longer front legs than rear legs, and they have relatively long necks. These features are similar to those of okapis’ nearest relative, the giraffe (although okapi have much shorter necks than giraffe). Okapi are sometimes even called the “forest giraffe.” Male okapi have a pair of hair-covered horns on their head, like those of giraffe. Instead of horns, females have whorls of hair on their heads. Other than the horns, and the small difference in size, male and female okapi look very much alike. Okapi also have a grasping (“prehensile”) tongue that is 25 centimeters long! They use their tongues to grasp and strip branches of leaves and to wipe their eyes, clean their nostrils, and groom their coats. How do okapi communicate? Okapi generally live alone (they’re “solitary”). They still have ways of communicating with each other when they are together, during courtship and when a mother has an infant. The three most recognizable sounds that okapi make are the “chuff,” “moan,” and “bleat.” Chuffs are used when okapi meet each other. Infant okapi bleat when they lose contact with their mother or are in danger. Males use a soft moan during courtship. What do okapi eat? Okapi are browsers, meaning they eat leaves from trees and smaller plants. A study in the DRC revealed that okapi eat leaves from more than one hundred different kinds of plants. Eating a variety of leaves allows okapi to find food most of the time. They use their long prehensile tongues to reach leaves more than eight feet off the ground. What about okapi reproduction? Females give birth to a single calf that weighs up to 30 kilograms. Infants double their weight by the end of their first month from drinking their mother’s rich milk. Newborn okapi can stand within thirty minutes after they are born. They spend most of their first two months of life alone, hidden away in vegetation. Mother okapi only visit infants to feed them—they stay away most of the time so they won’t attract predators to the infant. When the calf is big enough, mother and infant are together most of the time. Male okapi are ready to reproduce when they are 2 to 4 years old, and females when they are 1 1/2 to 3 years old. In zoos, okapi live for as long as 30 years, but scientists don’t know how long they live in the wild. What is the status of okapi in the wild? Like many of the world’s tropical forests, forests in the DRC are threatened because they possess many valuable resources. As the human population grows, some people want okapi habitat so they can log the forest, mine it for gold, or convert it to farming and grazing lands. Okapi are also the targets of poachers, who hunt them illegally for their valuable skins. Okapi are especially vulnerable to all of these threats because their habitat—the forests of the northeastern DRC—is not a very big area. Okapi are legally protected in the DRC, but their dense forest habitat make laws difficult to enforce. Leopards are the only natural predators of adult okapi, but golden cats hunt young okapi. Okapi avoid leopards by being active during the day, when leopards usually are resting or sleeping. Zoo breeding Zoos throughout North America and Europe care for and display okapi. In North America, the Okapi SSP manages the breeding of captive okapi, while a similar plan is used for the animals in Europe. Another group of breeding animals are kept within the okapi’s natural range in the DRC. Worldwide, there are about 60 okapis in zoos—about 40 of them are in the U.S. Okapi have been in captivity since the early 1900s. Although they reproduce fairly easily in zoos, the population has remained small because okapi give birth to only one offspring at a time, and because zoos want to prevent inbreeding (breeding between close relatives). The long term goal of the Okapi SSP is to increase the zoo population size of okapi to at least 160 animals over the next 100 years. Research Because they are so secretive and live in such a remote place, not much is known about okapi. Currently, researchers in the Ituri Forest of the DRC are trying to understand more about the habitat needs and food requirements of the okapi. Already, information from researchers in the Ituri about the okapi diet (they eat more than 100 kinds of plants!) has helped the Okapi SSP provide zoo animals with a healthier diet. Research in zoos helps the SSPs, too. By observing mother and infant okapi at Brookfield Zoo, researchers found that young okapi need to be separate from their mother for most of the time after birth. Now, zoos that have okapi provide enough room for mother and infant to exhibit natural behavior during the important first two months of a young okapi’s life. Education In zoos, more and more programs like this one are being introduced so people will understand and care about SSP animals. Zoos are also designing new and more natural exhibits for okapi that will help visitors understand okapi’s rainforest home. New exhibits include information about SSPs, spreading the word about the importance of these plans to the future of endangered animals. In the Ituri Forest of the DRC, an education program has begun to try to help people who live there understand why okapi and their forest home are worth protecting and conserving. The goal of the education program is to show that the wise use of forest resources today will benefit everyone for many years, while the short-term goal of using its resources quickly benefits only a few. Getting local people involved is the only way to do this. Okapi at Brookfield Zoo Okapi are in their new home at Brookfield Zoo, Habitat Africa! The Forest. Brookfield Zoo has a long and successful history with okapi. The first okapi—and the first in any American zoo—came in 1955. And in 1959, Brookfield Zoo was the first in the U.S. to have a baby okapi born. The local connection Habitat loss is a problem for okapi, but it’s also been a problem here in Illinois. You can do something to help right here in Illinois by making your backyard (or even your balcony or porch) a healthy habitat for wildlife such as birds. Put up birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths to make your home a habitat for birds. You can even specialize if you want to. Use the library or Internet to find out which species of birds are rare in Illinois because of habitat loss. When you find out what their habitat needs are, you can “customize” your home for rare birds by providing the nesting sites and food source they need to survive. Links |