Latest news with #okapi
BreakingNews.ie
23-07-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Rare and endangered okapi calf is ‘thriving' at Dublin Zoo
A rare and endangered okapi calf that was born on Good Friday is 'thriving', Dublin Zoo said. The birth marks an important milestone in the conservation of the okapi species, as she is only the third okapi calf ever born in Ireland. Advertisement The zoo said that its mother, Lumara, aged 10, is caring for her calf 'beautifully', and both are thriving. Over the past three months, the soon-to-be-named young calf has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good health. Her name will be revealed soon, the zoo said. Dalia and Leki, also offspring of parents Lumara and Kitabu, were previously born at Dublin Zoo. The zoo said that this year's new female is settling into her home under the attentive care of her mother. Advertisement Infant okapis spend most of their time in their nest during the first few months of life. 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. Helen Clarke, team leader at Dublin Zoo, said: '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. Advertisement '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.' Okapis are large, hoofed mammals closely related to the giraffe. Okapis, pictured at Bristol Zoo, are classed as endangered (Ben Birchall/PA) They have a reddish-brown, velvety coat with distinctive black-and-white stripes on their hind legs. Advertisement Okapis 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, 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 nutritious treats. The okapi is listed as Endangered by the IUCN list – a critical indicator of the health of the world's biodiversity – due to habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest. Advertisement Current population estimates range between 15,000 and 50,000 in the wild. Their natural habitat is the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa. Dublin Zoo has supported okapi conservation since 2012, with financial contributions to support rangers and community services in and around the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the DRC. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve monitors and protects okapi populations in the DRC.
The Independent
23-07-2025
- General
- The Independent
Rare and endangered okapi calf is ‘thriving' at Dublin Zoo
A rare and endangered okapi calf that was born on Good Friday is 'thriving', Dublin Zoo said. The birth marks an important milestone in the conservation of the okapi species, as she is only the third okapi calf ever born in Ireland. The zoo said that its mother, Lumara, aged 10, is caring for her calf 'beautifully', and both are thriving. Over the past three months, the soon-to-be-named young calf has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good health. Her name will be revealed soon, the zoo said. Dalia and Leki, also offspring of parents Lumara and Kitabu, were previously born at Dublin Zoo. The zoo said that 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 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. Helen Clarke, team leader at Dublin Zoo, said: '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.' 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. Okapis 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, 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 nutritious treats. The okapi is listed as Endangered by the IUCN list – a critical indicator of the health of the world's biodiversity – due to habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest. Current population estimates range between 15,000 and 50,000 in the wild. Their natural habitat is the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa. Dublin Zoo has supported okapi conservation since 2012, with financial contributions to support rangers and community services in and around the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the DRC. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve monitors and protects okapi populations in the DRC.
Irish Times
23-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Rare and endangered okapi ‘forest giraffe' is born at Dublin Zoo
A rare and endangered 'forest giraffe' born on Good Friday has been thriving, Dublin Zoo has said. This is the third calf of its kind – one of the few members of the okapi species – to be born in Ireland. The yet-to-be-named calf has two siblings in Dublin Zoo, Dalia and Leki, all born to mother Lumara and father Kitabu. Their names reflect the species' origins in the dense forests of the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where they are listed as endangered due to 'habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest' in the region, Dublin Zoo said. READ MORE Historically, deforestation in the region was relatively low, with 3,100sq km (1,200sq miles) of forest being lost annually, but from 2015 to 2019 the rate of tree-felling in the DRC doubled, meaning a major loss in vegetation for the species. The DRC has suffered from political instability for years, with rebel groups often igniting conflicts across the region. Since her birth, the calf 'has been growing steadily and showing all the signs of good health', zoo officials said. She has spent her first months in the family's nest and has been 'under the attentive care of her mother', they said. This is typical for the infant calves of the okapi species, their handlers said. Zoo goers exploring the African Plains area of the Phoenix Park attraction 'may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her in the coming days, and see just how much she has grown', Dublin Zoo team leader Helen Clarke said. The family's habitat is near the northeastern African cheetahs and not far from the Asian elephants in Dublin Zoo. The zoo has supported conservation efforts of the species since 2012 with financial support to rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are about 15,000 to 50,000 okapi in the world.
BBC News
19-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Rare African okapi born at Chester Zoo
A rare okapi has been caught taking its first steps on camera at Chester Miloli was born to mum Ada and dad Stomp after a 14-month are an African mammal, endangered in the calf was named Miloli which means 'joy' in Bantu, a group of languages spoken across central Africa. Miloli was born 6 May, but spent the few weeks of his life in a quiet nest area of the now CCTV footage of Miloli shows him taking his very first, wobbly Howe, Lead Keeper at Chester Zoo, said: "The footage we've captured offers a special insight into one of nature's most elusive and secretive species." Okapi are uniquely patterned animals, but Fiona explains that these patterns have two really useful purposes."Though Miloli appears to be wearing black-and-white striped socks, these patterns play important roles - acting as camouflage and assisting young okapi in following their mothers in the forest," she said."Now that he's developed confidence, Miloli has just started to follow the stripes on his mother's hind legs as she leads him out of the nest to explore together for the first time."Okapi are the national symbol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and protected under Congolese their numbers are falling in the wild because of habitat loss from mining and poaching for their Zoo say they are working with wider international conservation breeding programmes to help grow okapi numbers.
