Zebra or Horse?
While not discovered until 1901 by British explorer Harry Johnston, many local people of the Democratic Republic of Conga already knew of the existence of the okapis. An okapi is a relative of the giraffe but resembles a zebra and a horse. The legs of an okapi are striped black and white like a zebra and it is built like a horse. Okapis are herbivores that use their long gray tongues to reach the leaves on the bottom of the trees. They can be found in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of Conga in Africa. Currently there are currently only thought to be approximately 25,000 okapis in the wild. Humans generally do not know much about the okapis due to their camouflage and ability to hide from predators.
All the information available to the average person about okapis is what can be gleaned from a zoo experience. As a young child, one walks around the zoo and puts animals into groups by how they look. Without prior knowledge the okapi is automatically put with the zebras. . Many adults agreed with this since the two animals came from similar ecosystems. Like the zebras, when the okapis were first captured and brought to zoos, the fatality rate was high due to the long trip on trains and boats. As technology improved, planes decreased the amount of deaths due to travel. Okapis are also difficult to keep in zoos because they are so difficult to catch. They have excellent hearing and can tell when a human or other predator is approaching. Once a zoo manages to have both a male and a female okapi, they are bred in captivity in order to keep them available for human viewing. They have to be bred in captivity not only due to their lightning-fast reflexes but due to humans causing habitat destruction. The okapis are being threated of being put on the list of endangered animals their habitats are continually demolished. The okapi has been protected by law in the Democratic Republic of Conga since 1933. Currently, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, set up by the government in 1992, is officially protecting the okapi habitat in the Ituri Rainforest. Despite their efforts, poachers continue to kill the okapi no matter what the law states.
The okapi is an animal that is not commonly known. The appearance of the okapi is misleading, making one think that it is in the zebra family and not the giraffe family. An okapi can live to be around 30 years old and is big enough to scare away most predators. Due to their near-endangered status and quick escapes, the okapi remains a fascinating and unique animal.
All the information available to the average person about okapis is what can be gleaned from a zoo experience. As a young child, one walks around the zoo and puts animals into groups by how they look. Without prior knowledge the okapi is automatically put with the zebras. . Many adults agreed with this since the two animals came from similar ecosystems. Like the zebras, when the okapis were first captured and brought to zoos, the fatality rate was high due to the long trip on trains and boats. As technology improved, planes decreased the amount of deaths due to travel. Okapis are also difficult to keep in zoos because they are so difficult to catch. They have excellent hearing and can tell when a human or other predator is approaching. Once a zoo manages to have both a male and a female okapi, they are bred in captivity in order to keep them available for human viewing. They have to be bred in captivity not only due to their lightning-fast reflexes but due to humans causing habitat destruction. The okapis are being threated of being put on the list of endangered animals their habitats are continually demolished. The okapi has been protected by law in the Democratic Republic of Conga since 1933. Currently, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, set up by the government in 1992, is officially protecting the okapi habitat in the Ituri Rainforest. Despite their efforts, poachers continue to kill the okapi no matter what the law states.
The okapi is an animal that is not commonly known. The appearance of the okapi is misleading, making one think that it is in the zebra family and not the giraffe family. An okapi can live to be around 30 years old and is big enough to scare away most predators. Due to their near-endangered status and quick escapes, the okapi remains a fascinating and unique animal.