Okapi given birth in Beekse Bergen

Beekse Bergen has a new resident with the birth of the Okapi. The little male came into the world on Friday, March 25. The species is endangered in the wild.

"The cub has been named Dex and he is doing very well. Mother Abeni and father Zukuma are also doing well," said zoological manager Martin van Hees.

Threat

The animals live in the wild mainly in the dense rain forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this area, the biggest enemy of the Okapi is the leopard. In addition, humans also pose a great threat to the animal. In fact, the local population hunts this species for its meat and skin. Also, the Okapi's habitat is decreasing due to the clearing of the rainforest.

For conservation of this species, a European management program has been established in which Beekse Bergen also participates. Zoos ensure a healthy reserve population through this program. For mother Abeni and father Zukuma, this is the third cub. Zaire was the first calf and moved to Antwerp Zoo for this program in 2020. Brother Guus will also soon move to another zoo for this purpose. Beekse Bergen now has five okapis with the cub.

Contributions

Van Hees reports, "We are very happy that with Dex's arrival we can contribute to the preservation of this endangered species in the wild." In addition, Beekse Bergen supports the Okapi Conservation Project through Stichting Wildlife. The project involves the local population in protecting the tropical rainforest and the animals that live here. For example, people in the area are trained as ranger, teaching them, among other things, how to remove snares.

The young is born after a gestation period of about 15 months. In the wild, a young runs after its mother for the first two days. Then the mother makes a nest in a safe place among the bushes. Here the cub stays hidden for about two months. As a result, it uses little energy and does not need to drink much from its mother. As a result, the cub also has little feces, which is good for safety: in order to defecate, they have to leave the nest, since they do so as far away from their hiding place as possible to prevent predators from being able to smell the nest.

Bosgiraffes

Okapis belong to the same family as the giraffe. They also have a long neck, relatively high legs and the same kind of horns. In addition, the tongues of both animals are also about 35 centimeters long and blue in color. They need this long tongue to eat leaves from tall trees, to research things and to lick their eyes clean. Because the animals live mostly in dense forests, they are also called "forest giraffes.

This species also has large ears. These ears are important, as the dense rainforest makes it difficult for the animal to see if danger is approaching in the distance. The large ears make it possible to pick up sounds from a great distance, allowing the Okapi to quickly recognize threats.

Unique stripes

Okapis have dark red, brown or black fur with white stripes on the buttocks and legs. These stripes provide camouflage for the animals in the wild. The stripes are unique on each Okapi, allowing the mother and cub to recognize each other.

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