FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                 August 26, 2009

CONTACTS:

Tara Henson          (405) 425-0219, (405) 919-9038, cell or thenson@okczoo.com

Candice Rennels      (405) 425-0298, (405) 412-6172, cell or crennels@okczoo.com

OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO CELEBRATES RARE OKAPI BIRTH

                    Visitors to the Oklahoma City Zoo will soon have the opportunity to view a rare and beautiful okapi (pronounced oh-COP-ee) calf. Born at the Zoo on Saturday, August 15 to mother Caroli and father Kidomo, the male calf weighed 48 pounds. This was the first offspring for both parents and marks the fourth okapi birth at the Zoo since the first in 1995, with the last calf being born in 2000.

              With approximately 90 okapis currently residing in 24 different managed care organizations, the birth of an okapi calf is a great success for the Association of Zoo & Aquarium’s Okapi Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is responsible for developing a master plan that identifies population management goals and recommendations to ensure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse, and demographically varied population.   “We are excited about this birth and are proud to be participating in the Okapi Species Survival Plan,” said Mammal Curator Laura Bottaro. “The animal care technicians have dedicated extensive time preparing for this baby.”

                As Caroli’s pregnancy became more advanced, Intranet cams were installed in each of the three barn stalls to monitor her progress and the impending birth. Zoo animal staff were able to access the camera feeds both at work and remotely from other computers. The cameras will remain operational throughout the calf’s infancy so keepers can monitor him without being too invasive.

               Mothers will not stray very far after giving birth, so the young okapi will remain close by until at least a few days old,  then becomes a ‘nester' for a number of months, in which it lies in vegetation. During this intensive nesting phase, the calf is incredibly efficient in the use of energy, primarily only nursing or sleeping.  Zoo keepers aren’t sure when mom and baby will be consistently available for guest viewing. The calf will have access to the outdoor, public exhibit on the Zoo’s Wild Dog Row in a few weeks, based on the keepers’ evaluation of its health and progress.              

               First discovered by Europeans in the late 1800s, the rare and secretive okapi is indigenous to the African Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with only about 10,000 or less currently in the wild.  Okapis are classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which means that as a species they are close to qualifying or likely to qualify for the threatened category. Although they have been hunted sustainably by the local tribes, the major dangers to okapis come from loss of habitat and accidental trapping in traps set for other animals.

                The only other member of the family Giraffidae, these “forest giraffes” show several marked resemblances to their much taller relatives. Okapis have similar high shoulders and sloping hindquarters, large eyes and the males of the species have skin-covered horns on their heads, just like the giraffe.

                In other ways, okapis couldn’t be more different. These striking animals are a fascinating combination of pattern and color. The legs of an okapi are striped in black and white, much like a zebra. The rest of the body is a velvety chestnut brown color with fur so oily that rain slips right off, and a face of startling silvery gray.

                Okapis subsist mostly on a diet of leaves and vines. They have exceptionally long prehensile tongues ideally suited for stripping leaves off of branches. Okapi tongues are so long that they are thought to be the only animals in the world that can clean their own ears with their tongues!

               Come see the newest arrivals at the Zoo: the okapi calf and his Zoo neighbor, a Grevy’s Zebra foal born July 13. The wild is calling you to the Oklahoma City Zoo! Located in Oklahoma City’s Adventure District at the crossroads of I-44 and I-35, the Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with exhibit buildings closing at 4:45 p.m.  Through September, the Zoo will remain open until 8 p.m. on Saturdays only.  Admission is $7 for adults, $4 for children three to 11 and seniors 65 and older. Children two and under are free. For more information, please call (405) 424-3344 or visit www.okczoo.com.

-okczoo-