Class: MAMMALIA

Order: ARTIODACTYLA

Family: GIRAFFIDAE

Genus: OKAPIA

Species: JOHNSTONI

This species of medium-sized artiodactyl is the closest living relative to the giraffes; of which it shares its family. It is also the only member of its genus. Its native range is contained entirely within the Democratic Republic of Congo; formerly Zaire. This native range is divided in two – a larger population which encompasses Ituri, Orientale, Virunga and Maiko National Park, and another smaller population which centers the Congo Basin. Skeletons found of giraffoids now extinct have proportions similar to that of the okapi; so the okapi may represent the last living representative of this group of animals. The okapi diverged from the giraffes about 15 million years ago.

Although native Indigenous peoples have known about the Okapi for thousand of years, trapping, skinning, and eating them – the animal was largely unknown to Western science until the turn of the 20th century, aside from the oral accounts of some explorers who had visited the Congo for themselves. They described the animal as being donkey-like in appearance, with stripes on its rear-end. And one man who had heard about this mysterious animal was Harry Johnston, who would go on to become a pioneering Colonial Administrator. The animal was described to have horns – piquing Johnston’s interest – leading him to wonder if it could be the Unicorn of Greek mythology, or maybe the ancient Hipparion; a primitive relative of the horse’s ancestors. On his first trip to Congo he became ill with malaria – at this point he had just two pieces of rear-hide. Later on he would obtain an entire hide and two skulls; and found that the animal was even-hooved, and not odd-hooved as he initially thought. He would catch sight of the animal in 1901; bringing much media attention. Johnston is remembered also for publishing forty books on African subjects – some of which he released himself for reinstation in their native Congo.

Okapis are curious animals morphologically – they have stocky proportions not unlike those of horses. The neck is markedly shorter than that of its closest relative – as the thick forest would be inappropriate for an animal with a long neck. The hide is slightly oily, making it appear reflective. The pygmy hippopotamus also has an oily covering – which it uses to reflect heat – so it might be that the okapi does the same. The oil the okapi secretes also makes it waterproof, which is useful during the wet season. The hide is mostly dark brown or black. The okapi is about 2.5 metres in length, 1.5 metres at shoulder, with males weighing 220 kilogrammes at median, and females 310 kilogrames. Females, unusually, are larger than males. The neck has a few wrinkles, though the animal is not entirely wrinkly. Much of the head is white in colouration with dark eyes and dark surrounding areas, as well as dark areas around the snout and mouth. The area where the skull is distinguished from the neck is particularly visible, as are various veins on the animal’s head, and there is a slight lighter area between the back legs and torso. The front legs have a few thick, white stripes – about 6, but sometimes above or below that number. There are also two large white areas – one above the knee and another larger below – as well as one more above the hoof. The back legs also have a larger number of moderately thin, markedly zebra-like stripes – with a very large white area covering the area from below the ankle to close to the bottom of the thigh, with one more stripe again surrounding the hoof. The tail, about 35 cm long, has a few slight stripes as well, though in some animals they are notable. It has a light-blue tongue, about 30 centimetres long, which can be used to strip away leaves – and lick various areas of its face. Like the giraffe, the male okapi has a pair of ossicones above the eyes. The ears are large, and have a slight covering of tufted hair. Okapis have scent glands on their feet – leaving behind a tar-esque substance with a distinct smell. Unlike most quadruped mammals, but like giraffes, the left legs on either side move in conjunction before the right legs do so, doing so with its head facing the ground.

The most scientifically important area of okapi habitat might be that of the Ituri Forest in Congo. It lies on the north-east of the Congo River basin, with acidic soils and hilly terrain – up to 1000 metres above sea level. It is also rather humid – humidity staying around 75%, with a temperature of 31 degrees. Rain falls at a tally of 75 inches a year – most in October and November – when flooding is common – and least immediately afterwards. The forest floor is covered with roots – the byproduct of a thick canopy; so that little sunlight reaches the forest floor. It is in this darkness that the okapi thrives – with the streaks of sunlight that reach the floor being not unlike the white stripes of the okapi. Okapis typically find refuge in dark, thick foliage making them hard to observe; but observation is easiest when they come to the exposed river to drink. They restrict themselves to these canopy forests, avoiding human settlements and savannah. They also avoid swamp – though they remain in areas of forest during seasonal flooding. Okapis seem to prefer feeding at areas of forest exposed by fallen trees, where light breaks through to allow small plants to grow. Fast-growing, lower-level plants such as these seem to be some of the okapi’s preferred foodstuff. The plants of the Congo also contain specific, individual toxins – so okapis cannot settle for monotony in diet; so foraging involves the collective browsing of various species – about one hundred of which have been observed. This is much of the reason that okapis move up to 2.5 kilometres in a day. It might also, not unlike animals like tapirs, consume clay. It eats about 5 kilogrammes of such leaves a day. It uses its long tongue to strip leaves off trees to avoid eating branches – as it also refuses to eat wood. It also seems to refuse to consume moss, as well as immature and dying leaves. The digestive system of the okapi breaks down cellulose very well – but is inefficient at breaking down starch and other sugars. Sometimes it also consumes fruit.

Okapis were once believed to be nocturnal; but seem to have no particular preference for at which hours they are active; given that little light reaches their natural habitat. They spend up to 12 hours each day at rest. Okapis are solitary by nature – animals which try to avoid each other when possible. The sexes come together only to mate – with the male leaving afterwards. Females have a home range of about 5 kilometres, and is rather rigid compared to males; though males occupy a larger home range [about twice that of females]. They are largely quiet animals, but are believed to be more vocal than are giraffes. ‘Chuffs’ are the most audible – used between either sex, with infants bleating to communicate. It is also believed that much communication between okapis, similar to giraffes, is below that of human hearing. Also similarly to giraffes, male okapis in competition will fight using their necks. The okapi’s natural breeding habits have not been recorded heavily in the wild, so much that is known about okapi reproduction comes from animals kept in captivity. During courtship, males will sometimes make a soft moaning sound, as well as marking various objects in urine. They mark territory by rubbing necks on trees. Males will then stretch their neck and head, until the female displays submission with her head low before mating. When a female okapi is pregnant, she will be pregnant for about 440 days, before going to an area of dense forest to give birth to a single calf. Adult okapis have just one primary predator – the leopard, which causes a significant proportion of death amongst adult okapis – but okapi calves are also subject to predation under servals, Leptailurus serval, and golden cats, Profelis aurata. Native tribes also hunt okapis for skin and food – setting up pit traps where the animals are not to escape. Okapis are generally timid, but also tranquil, preferring not to display aggression.

To protect the calf, a small nest is built for it, where it stays for about 80% of its time for the first two months of its life. Natal mortality has been recorded amongst mother okapis – with the mother sometimes kicking the calf’s head, which kills it instantly. The milk which is consumed is believed to be less fatty and higher in protein than that of domestic cattle. Since the calf is largely idle at nest, it is believed that this contributes to faster growth in a shorter time period than most other hooved mammals. The mother regularly makes returns during this time to allow the calf to suckle. At about 6 months the calf is weaned, and ossicones are developed at one year of age. Male okapis become sexually mature at 19 months old, and females at 26 months. At 3 years of age, okapis reach their adult size. The lifespan of wild okapis has yet to be determined – but the median life expectancy under American zoos is about 16 years of age.

The native tribes of the Congo continue to treat the okapi as an animal of significant importance culturally. Though, even after more than 100 years since its discovery, Western science is still largely elucidated by the animal, with many details of its natural life remaining partially, or fully unknown. The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987, with the Okapi Wildlife Reserve established in 1992. With 2.5 okapis per square kilometre on-site, it is a place of utmost scientific importance for the prolonged research into the biology of not only the okapi, but the other species with live on-site – 15% of which are endemic, having the highest variety of mammals of any park in Africa. In 1996 it was given protection as a United Nations World Heritage Site, encompassing not only the okapi but also being the cultural capital for the Mbuti and Efe tribes. In 1998 civil unrest saw the reserve in danger – and in 2008 it was found that since the founding of the site some 2000 animals had been lost. The year after, the population was estimated to be between 10,000 and 35,000 animals. The decline at the turn of the century was signified by the re-assession taken out by the IUCN of status of the okapi’s wild population - since it was first assessed as ‘Lower Risk’ [now ‘Least Concern’] in 1996 – and later as ‘Near Threatened’ in 2008 – and so in 2013 it became assessed as Endangered – which was given credence by another assessment that took place in 2015. At current, no reliable estimates for the wild okapi population exist; though a significant decline took place until the early 21st century, which coincided with the end of a decade-long civil war. One notorious incident took place in 2012 at the Okapi Conservation Project’s headquarters, which led to the gunned murder of six people and 13 of the 14 captive ‘ambassador’ okapi held on site – with the fourteenth animal’s death from injuries occurring not long afterwards. In addition to hunting which still takes place, the destruction of the animal’s natural habitat is also a subject of conservation concern – a species which often avoids human settlement, it disappears with the destruction of forest also. Forest is destroyed for the expansion of housing and farmland, and for timber – and also for the illegal mining of precious metals – such as gold and coltan [a natural mixture of niobium [formerly called: columbium] and tantalum], which are often used in electronic appliances such as mobile phones. Diamonds are also mined in these areas.

The first okapis to be exhibited in captivity arrived to the Antwerp Zoo in Belgium in the year 1919. Virtually nothing was known about the advanced biology of the okapi at the time – so perhaps unexpectedly, several okapis that were brought in early seemed to live 15 years – a lifespan not unlike what is achieved in modern zoos today. They bred readily in captivity, but until 1950s half of the offspring born died within a month. Bristol Zoo at Clifton brought in the UK’s first okapi in 1961 – and the institution went on to establish a program at the Hollywood Tower estate off-display – to found a breeding programme and also to provide exhibit animals for the Zoo, though only a few lived at the zoo on display. London Zoo went on to receive their okapi in 1979, and Marwell in 1984 – which proved itself as a global place of importance for okapi research and breeding. Difficult to breed, a fairly large handful of major zoos in Europe hold okapi today, as do a similar in the United States of America. The okapi is the national animal of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and is also a flagstone species for the Ituri Forest – lending its likeness to represent not only itself but also the various other species of animal and plant that live there, many endemic.