Dublin Zoo celebrates birth of endangered okapi calf
It was revealed today that a baby okapi calf was born on the morning of Good Friday, 18 April, 2025, making her the third okapi calf ever born in Ireland.
Over the past three months, the soon-to-be-named young calf has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good health.
The birth marks an important milestone in the conservation of the okapi species, and it's all thanks to proud parents Lumara and Kitabu.
Lumara, aged 10, is caring for her calf beautifully, having birthed Dalia and Leki previously at Dublin Zoo. Like the earlier calves, this year's new female is settling into her home under the attentive care of her mother.
Infant okapis spend most of their time in their nest during the first few months of life, but visitors to Dublin Zoo may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the growing calf as she begins to explore her outdoor habitat in the coming weeks.
Also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe and zebra giraffe, okapis are an artiodactyl mammal native to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Much like its giraffe cousin, the okapi has a long, dark tongue that helps them to pull leaves from branches.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is endagered, with experts estimating that populations have dropped dramatically over the past two decades.
Helen Clarke, Team Leader at Dublin Zoo, expressed her excitement about the new arrival:
"We're absolutely delighted to welcome our third okapi calf to Dublin Zoo. Each birth is a major step forward for the conservation of this endangered species. At the moment, the calf is nesting with her mother - typical behaviour for young okapis - but it won't be long before she begins exploring the outdoor habitat alongside her."
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Dublin Zoo has announced the birth of a rare and endangered female okapi calf, born on the morning of Good Friday, April 18, 2025. Both the calf and her mother Lumara, aged 10, are 'thriving' after months of 'beautiful care'. The young calf has been growing steadily, showing all the signs of good health and Dublin Zoo confirmed that her name will be revealed soon. The okapi calf was born on Good Friday. Pic: Patrick Bolger Photography She is just the third ever okapi calf born in Ireland which marks an important milestone in the conservation of the okapi species. Dalia and Leki, also offspring of parents Lumara and Kitabu, were previously born at Dublin Zoo. Like the earlier calves, this year's new female is 'settling into her home under the attentive care of her mother'. According to the zoo, infant okapis spend most of their time in their nest during the first few months of life but visitors may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse in the coming weeks. Helen Clarke, Team Leader at Dublin Zoo, exclaimed: 'We're absolutely delighted to welcome our third okapi calf to Dublin Zoo. Each birth is a major step forward for the conservation of this endangered species. 'At the moment, the calf is nesting with her mother – typical behaviour for young okapis – but it won't be long before she begins exploring the outdoor habitat alongside her. 'The calf is thriving, and visitors exploring the African Plains area may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her in the coming days – and see just how much she has grown!' Visitors may catch a glimpse in the coming weeks. Pic: Patrick Bolger Photography Okapis are large, hoofed mammals closely related to the giraffe, with a reddish-brown, velvety coat and distinctive black-and-white stripes on their hind legs. They are herbivores, feeding on a diet of leaves, shoots, fruits, and fungi. To meet these dietary needs, the okapis at Dublin Zoo are provided with a variety of foliage, including rose leaves which is a particular 'favourite'. For added enrichment, Dublin Zookeepers create 'rose balls', which are hanging baskets filled with rose leaves that encourage the okapis to use their long tongues to nibble at the treats. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is endagered, with experts estimating that populations have dropped dramatically over the past two decades. This is due to habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest with current population estimates range between 15,000 and 50,000 in the wild. Also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe and zebra giraffe, their natural habitat is the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa.
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IT was a magical day at Dublin Zoo as they welcomed the birth of a "rare and endangered" animal. Proud mother Lumara gave birth to a rare and endangered female okapi calf on the morning of Good Friday, April 25. Advertisement 4 Dublin Zoo announced the birth of a baby animal at their sanctuary Credit: Getty 4 The endangered okapi calf was born on Good Friday, April 25 Credit: Patrick Bolger Photography 4 She is only the third okapi calf ever born in Ireland Credit: Patrick Bolger Photography The zoo confirmed that the mother, aged 10, is caring for her Over the past three months, the soon-to-be-named young calf has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good They stated that the birth marks an important milestone in the conservation of the okapi species, as she is only the third okapi calf ever born in Dalia and Leki, also offspring of parents Lumara and Kitabu, were previously born at Advertisement READ MORE ON DUBLIN ZOO Like the earlier calves, this year's new female is settling into her home under the attentive care of her mother. Infant okapis spend most of their time in their nest during the first few months of life. Visitors may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the growing calf as she begins to explore her outdoor habitat in the coming weeks. Helen Clarke, Team Leader at Dublin Advertisement Most read in Irish News Latest "Each birth is a major step forward for the conservation of this endangered species. "At the moment, the calf is nesting with her mother - typical behaviour for young okapis - but it won't be long before she begins exploring the outdoor habitat alongside her." 'Bittersweet day' as Dublin Zoo's 'vulnerable' baby orangutan rehomed at new sanctuary She added: "The calf is thriving, and visitors exploring the Okapis are large, hoofed mammals closely related to the giraffe, they have a reddish-brown, velvety coat with distinctive black-and-white stripes on their hind legs. Advertisement They are herbivores, feeding on a Much like its giraffe cousin, they have a long, dark tongue that helps them to pull leaves from branches. To meet these dietary needs, the okapis at Dublin Zoo have various foliage, including rose leaves - a particular favourite. For added enrichment, Dublin Zookeepers create 'rose balls,' hanging baskets filled with rose leaves that encourage the okapis to use their long tongues to nibble at the nutritious treats. Advertisement ENDANGERED SPECIES The okapi is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature under the Red List of Threatened Species due to habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest. Experts estimate that the population have dropped dramatically over the past two decades, with the current population estimates ranging between 15,000 and 50,000 in the wild. The population trends are reported to still be decreasing and action recovery plan is in effect for the affected region. Their natural habitat is the dense forests of the Advertisement Under the red list of threatened species, over 169,000 species were assessed, and 47,187 species were threatened by their environment. 4 The calf is currently nesting with her mother Credit: Patrick Bolger Photography
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Dublin Zoo celebrates birth of endangered okapi calf
Belated congratulations are in order for Dublin Zoo! It was revealed today that a baby okapi calf was born on the morning of Good Friday, 18 April, 2025, making her the third okapi calf ever born in Ireland. Over the past three months, the soon-to-be-named young calf has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good health. The birth marks an important milestone in the conservation of the okapi species, and it's all thanks to proud parents Lumara and Kitabu. Lumara, aged 10, is caring for her calf beautifully, having birthed Dalia and Leki previously at Dublin Zoo. Like the earlier calves, this year's new female is settling into her home under the attentive care of her mother. Infant okapis spend most of their time in their nest during the first few months of life, but visitors to Dublin Zoo may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the growing calf as she begins to explore her outdoor habitat in the coming weeks. Also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe and zebra giraffe, okapis are an artiodactyl mammal native to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Much like its giraffe cousin, the okapi has a long, dark tongue that helps them to pull leaves from branches. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is endagered, with experts estimating that populations have dropped dramatically over the past two decades. Helen Clarke, Team Leader at Dublin Zoo, expressed her excitement about the new arrival: "We're absolutely delighted to welcome our third okapi calf to Dublin Zoo. Each birth is a major step forward for the conservation of this endangered species. At the moment, the calf is nesting with her mother - typical behaviour for young okapis - but it won't be long before she begins exploring the outdoor habitat alongside her."
