Okapi
They are also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe. They stand about 1.5 m tall at the shoulder. Its average body length is about 2.5 m and its weight ranges from 200-350 kg. It has a long neck and large and flexible ears. The coat is a chocolate to reddish-brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs and white ankles. The striking stripes make it resemble a zebra. These features serve as an effective camouflage amidst dense vegetation.
The face, throat, and chest are greyish white. Interdigital glands are present on all four feet and are slightly larger on the front feet. Male okapis have short, hair-covered horns called ossicones, less than 15 cm in length. The okapi exhibits sexual dimorphism, with females 4.2 cm taller on average, slightly redder, and lacking prominent ossicones, instead possessing hair whorls
Habitat
The okapi is endemic to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it occurs north and east of the Congo River. It ranges from the Maiko National Park northward to the Ituri rainforest, then through the river basins of the Rubi, Lake Tele, and Ebola to the west and the Ubangi River further north. Smaller populations exist west and south of the Congo River. It is also common in the Wamba and Epulu areas. It is extinct in Uganda. The okapi inhabits canopy forests at altitudes of 500–1,500 m. It occasionally uses seasonally inundated areas but does not occur in gallery forests, swamp forests, and habitats disturbed by human settlements. In the wet season, it visits rocky inselbergs that offer forage uncommon elsewhere.
Diet
Okapis are herbivores, feeding on tree leaves and buds, grasses, ferns, fruits, and fungi. They are unique in the Ituri Forest as they are the only known mammal that feeds solely on understory vegetation, where they use their 18-inch tongues to selectively browse for suitable plants. The tongue is also used to groom their ears and eyes. They prefer to feed in treefall gaps. The okapi has been known to feed on over 100 species of plants, some of which are known to be poisonous to humans and other animals.
Breeding
Female okapis become sexually mature at about one-and-a-half years old, while males reach maturity after two years. Rut in males and estrous in females does not depend on the season. In captivity, oestrous cycles recur every 15 days. The male and the female begin courtship by circling, smelling, and licking each other. The male shows his interest by extending his neck, tossing his head, and protruding one leg forward. This is followed by mounting and copulation. The gestational period is around 440 to 450 days long, following which usually a single calf is born, weighing 14–30 kg. The udder of the pregnant female starts swelling 2 months before parturition, and vulval discharges may occur. Parturition takes 3–4 hours, and the female stands throughout this period, though she may rest during brief intervals. The mother consumes the afterbirth and extensively grooms the infant. Her milk is very rich in proteins and low in fat. As in other ruminants, the infant can stand within 30 minutes of birth. Although generally similar to adults, newborn calves have false eyelashes, a long dorsal mane, and long white hairs in the stripes. These features gradually disappear and give way to the general appearance within a year. The juveniles are kept in hiding, and nursing takes place infrequently. Calves are known not to defecate for the first month or two of life, which is hypothesized to help avoid predator detection in their most vulnerable phase of life. The growth rate of calves is appreciably high in the first few months of birth, after which it gradually declines. Juveniles start taking solid food from 3 months, and weaning takes place at 6 months. Horn development in males takes 1 year after birth. The okapi's typical lifespan is 20–30 years
Population
According to the IUCN Red List, they are classed as Endangered(E) and their population trend is decreasing. It is widely considered that there was a decline in the Okapi population, along with other species, following the decade-long civil war which ended in the early 2000s. Population estimates were made in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in 1993-1995 and repeated in 2005-2007 using the same ‘monitoring’ transects and distance sampling methodology, though individual transects were not necessarily carried out at the same time of year due to insecurity limiting access to parts of the Reserve (Hart et al. 2008). These surveys showed a decline in dung density of 43% between the two survey periods. A second set of transects in 2005-2007 used an improved spatial design (systematic placement of transects covering the entire reserve), but were also conducted across seasons for the reasons above. Further analysis is required to determine whether the comparison of these ‘systematic’ transects with the 1995-1997 and 2005-2007 monitoring transects, and a further set of transects conducted in 2000-2002 over part of the reserve under the MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) program, supports the observed decline in dung density, and to specifically investigate seasonality as a variable. The same type of systematic design was used again in 2010-2011 but implemented over the three-month dry season to reduce the effects of seasonality. While an overall comparison between the two systematic surveys (2005-2007 and 2010-2011) appeared to show an increase in Okapi dung density, a comparison between transects undertaken at the same time of year (the dry season only), in the same area of the reserve, showed no significant difference in Okapi dung density. Seasonal differences in dung decay rates, therefore, complicate comparisons between these various sets of surveys.
Threats
Okapi can coexist with the small-scale, low-level human occupation of the forest, but disappear in areas of active settlement or disturbance, and the major threat to this species is habitat loss due to logging and human settlement including the illegal occupation of protected areas. Approximately one-third of the Okapi’s known distribution is likely to be at risk by major incursions during the first quarter of this century. Areas at high risk include the southeastern Ituri Forest, the Kisangani area, Rubi-Tele, and the western and eastern limits of the species' range in the Ebola River basin and Virunga-Hoyo region respectively. Hunting for meat and skins is also a threat and Okapi decline rapidly in areas where there is the persistent use of snares. In some areas, Okapi is targeted for bushmeat whereas in others they are taken only incidentally. The most prominent current threat to Okapi is the presence of illegal armed groups in and around key protected areas. These groups prevent effective conservation action, even surveys and monitoring in most sites, and engage in and facilitate elephant poaching, bushmeat hunting, illegal mining (gold, coltan and diamonds), illegal logging, charcoal production and agricultural encroachment. In a notorious incident in June 2012, armed rebels attacked the RFO HQ and killed seven people and all 14 captive Okapi.
Conservation
This species is not included in the CITES Appendices. The Okapi is a fully protected species under Congolese law and the species is a national symbol, appearing on the insignia of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) and on Congolese banknotes. The RFO (14,000 km2) and Maiko National Park (10,800 km2) support significant populations, but numbers in both sites have declined to owe to the threats listed above. Strengthening the protection of these two protected areas is the single most important means to ensure the long-term survival of Okapi. A small population of Okapi still occurs in the Watalinga Forest (1,100 km2) in the northern sector of Virunga National Park, but currently receives no protection due to the presence of armed groups, though a new forest corridor project connecting Watalinga to the Mt Hoyo Reserve (200 km2), where Okapi have also been recorded, is due to start in 2015. Okapi occurs in Rubi-Tele Hunting Reserve (9,000 km2), though its precise legal status is unclear, in Abumonbanzi Reserve in the far west of the range, and on the west bank of the Congo River, where the proposed Lomami National Park within the Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba landscape (9,500 km2) is undergoing the process of official gazettement. A number of community reserves are located around Maiko National Park. Many captive Okapis are held in international collections. In November 2011, representatives of the North American and European captive populations, including the Okapi Species Survival Plan (SSP) and the Okapi European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), met to discuss the role of the captive population in Okapi conservation and agreed to maintain a sustainable, cooperatively managed global ex situ Okapi population that contributes to a viable in situ population. The zoo community is a major supporter of Okapi conservation work, in 2010 donating USD 225,000 to the Okapi Conservation Project, 33% of its budget (Gilman International Conservation, 2010).
ICCN is the government agency responsible for protected area management but is under-staffed and under-funded. The Okapi Conservation Project was established in 1987 and works within the RFO to protect Okapi and their habitat, as well as the culture of the indigenous Mbuti pygmies. Project activities include capacity building, agroforestry and community support (Gilman International Conservation 2010). The Wildlife Conservation Society started field surveys and research on Okapi in RFO and elsewhere in DRC in the 1980s. Several other international NGOs have also conducted Okapi-related work in DRC, including Fauna & Flora International, Frankfurt Zoological Society, the Lukuru Foundation, and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). The first-ever species-wide Okapi conservation strategy was developed at a workshop held in DRC in May 2013 that was organised by ZSL in partnership with ICCN. In March 2013 a new IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group was established, co-hosted by ZSL, with the aim of coordinating research and conservation on both species and supporting the implementation of the Okapi conservation strategy.