The Okapi or the “forest giraffe” is one species many people
are not too familiar with. Inhabiting
the tropical rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the okapi was not
discovered by scientists until 1901 and is found nowhere else in the world. In
1901, Sir Harry Johnston’s watercolor rendition of this elusive animal was done
without actually seeing the animal first hand. Instead, he obtained pieces of
striped skin and eventually a skull. Johnston first believed he was on the
trail of some kind of forest-dwelling horse, but soon discovered the tracks
were of some cloven-hoofed beast. As it turned out, the okapi is not a horse
but a forest-dwelling relative of the giraffe. Scientists confirmed this in
1901 by studying the skull Johnston acquired.
At first sight, the okapi resembles a horse but upon closer
examination it’s similarities to the giraffe are easily seen. The okapi has a
relatively long neck, yet nowhere near that of its giraffe relatives. The
okapi’s tongue measures between 14-18 inches long. Like giraffes, they use
their tongue to wrap around leaves and branches when eating, as well as to
groom themselves and their calves. The forehead, neck, and body are brown, with
light tan or grey on the animal’s cheeks, throat, and chest. Okapi hair is
short, slightly oily to the touch and has a delicate scent. The hind limbs and
upper forelegs have cross-stripes resembling those of a zebra while the lower
limbs have white “socks” with brown lines going up the front to the knees,
where there’s a brown band around each leg. Males have short hair-covered,
rear-facing horns, females are slightly taller than the males, and both sexes
have large free moving ears.
The distinguishing zebra-like markings on its backside and
legs help camouflage the okapi in the forest. The stripes are meant to resemble
streaks of sunlight passing through the trees above.
According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the
okapi is categorized as “Near Threatened” meaning that based on recent data the
species does not currently qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, or
Vulnerable but is close to qualifying in the near future. Presently, the okapi
population trend is stable; there are approximately 10,000 – 20,000 okapi in
the wild and 42 in various zoological institutions worldwide as of 2011. Major
threats to the okapi include small-scale human occupation of the forest as well
as habitat loss from logging and human development.
The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, established in 1992, protects
the habitat of the okapi and numerous other species, as well as local
indigenous people, the Mbuti and Efe pygmies. The Reserve includes 13,700
square kilometers of the Ituri Forest in the northeastern portion of the
Democratic Republic of Congo. It was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1996,
representing a global effort to preserve rare plant and animal life and human
culture. The Reserve protects the Ituri lowland rainforest of the Congo River
Basin and safeguards a healthy population of about 5,000 okapi, 4,000
elephants, 2,000 leopards, 13 primate species including chimpanzees, three
species of crocodile, and many others such as forest buffalo, antelope, water
chevrotain, and a variety of birds and insects.
The Okapi Conservation Project, including the Okapi Breeding
and Research Station, works to provide a safe and stable environment for both
the animals and people of the region. And the Institute in Congo for the
Conservation of Nature (ICCN), a government agency of the Democratic Republic
of Congo, works to protect the flora and fauna of the country. Working together,
the conservationists and the government give all rainforest inhabitants of the
Congo hope for a better future.
References:
IUCN SSC Antelope Specialist Group 2008. Okapia johnstoni. In: IUCN
2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
Downloaded on 26 June 2012.
