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posted on 7 Feb, 2012

A Star is born

The birth of an okapi is a truly rare occasion. Shortly before Christmas last year, a male okapi calf was born at the Epulu captive breeding centre, DR Congo. By now, mother and calf have settled into a comfortable routine at the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. Metaphorically, GFA has assisted midwifing through its involvement in the Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management Program in and around the wildlife reserve.

This Christmas birth is only the eleventh okapi calf born in Epulu since the inception of the Okapi Conservation Project in 1987. It represents an important second generation of okapi born at the breeding and research station operated by the Institute in Congo for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN). The GFA team on location helps engage local communities in stewardship of their forest heritage and natural resources, including the okapi. The project, supported by KfW until 2015, aims at the conservation of a protected area and the sustainable development of local villages inside and around Okapi the wildlife reserve.
 
Okapi are threatened by habitat destruction and poaching. The okapi in Epulu and in zoos around the world serve as important ambassadors, introducing visitors to the mysteries of the okapi and its life and home in the Ituri Forest of the DR Congo.

Photo copyright GIC - White Oak

by  Eric Lacroix