Conservationists at Chester Zoo are celebrating the birth of an endangered okapi calf – a rare animal also known as the forest giraffe.
The adorable calf was born to mum K’tusha (10) and dad Stomp (20) on May 12 where she has since been snuggled up in a nest in a behind-the-scenes area at the charity zoo.
Now, at just six weeks old, the leggy newcomer has kicked up her heels and taken her first steps outside, following some gentle encouragement from mum.
Seven months after okapi Lindi, okapi Zaire gave birth to a new okapi on 7 October in the Moorish temple of Antwerp ZOO. The caretakers watched and saw the animal being born live. It is her first young and everything went well. It is also his first offspring for sire Ubundu. Antwerp ZOO is the worldwide okapi expert and matchmaker for new flocks in zoos and monitors the welfare and survival of these special, endangered animals. This birth is again fantastic news!
Four little hooves and all ears! The Zoo’s baby boom continues with the arrival of a male okapi calf born to first-time mom, Kayin, as part of an AZA breeding program for this endangered species.
Dublin Zoo is celebrating the arrival of a male okapi calf. The baby was born in the early morning of Thursday the 7th of July to parents Lumara (7y) and Kitabu (14y). Standing just 20 minutes after being born and suckling within hours, the baby is in excellent health, and he has been growing steadily in the past month.
At 11.55 p.m. on Sunday 10 July 2022, a baby okapi was born at Basel Zoo. Toka’s birth has been the source of great excitement: he is only the fifth forest giraffe calf to be raised at Basel Zoo in over 20 years.
The new son of mother Ebony (10) and father Imba (15) is called Toka. The small bull is strong and curious. Immediately after he was born in the night between Sunday 10 and Monday 11 July 2022, he stood up on his shaky but stocky little legs and went in search of milk. Now, at 11 days old, Toka is in the best of health and is feeding regularly. After Quenco, who was born in 2019, Toka is okapi cow Ebony’s second successful birth. Her first calf came too early in 2017 and was stillborn.
A rare okapi has given birth to an “incredibly special” calf at Chester Zoo.
The wide-eyed infant, born to first-time mum Ada and dad Stomp, has remained snuggled up in her nest ever since her arrival into the world. But now, the shy youngster has started to take her very first tentative steps outside as she begins to gain in confidence.
Hilvarenbeek, November 9, 2021 – Safari Park Beekse Bergen is celebrating the birth of an okapi. The little male is only the tenth young of this endangered species worldwide to be born in a zoo in the past 12 months.
The okapi, which belongs to the same family as the giraffe, is found in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here his existence is threatened. The IUCN, one of the world's largest conservation organizations, known for its so-called 'red list', indicates that there may be only a few thousand left in the wild. The numbers are declining because the habitat is disappearing due to the felling of the rainforest. The okapi is also hunted by the local population for meat and skin.
In the Netherlands, Rotterdam Zoo’s Okapi M'buti gave birth to a baby on Sunday November 21 at 12:15 pm. Mother and baby are doing well. M'buti is an experienced mother, this is her third baby. The father is Ngwani. The little one will remain in the stable for the next few weeks. Okapis are altricial, meaning they mature after birth with the aid of their parents. Just like in the wild, the mother leaves her young in a safe place and returns only to nurse. At first, okapi calves spend their days mostly sleeping and drinking. Visitors will soon be able to peek into the nursery via webcam.
Conservationists are celebrating the birth of a rare baby okapi at Chester Zoo.
The female calf, born to mum K’tusha (7) and dad Stomp (17), arrived safely following a 14-month-long pregnancy.
The zoo’s CCTV cameras captured the calf’s first wobbly steps as she was gently encouraged to her feet by mum, shortly after birth. Now, the shy new arrival has stepped outside for the first time after spending the first few weeks of life snuggled up in a cosy nest.
Zookeepers have named the adorable youngster ‘Nia Nia’ in homage to a small village that is in the centre of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a place where the zoo’s field partners are based, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – the only country in the world where okapis are found in the wild.
Oni the okapi, who featured in the first episode of last week’s ITV documentary, London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year - has delighted zookeepers at the iconic zoo by giving birth to a healthy baby girl.
The second-time mum, whose lockdown pregnancy took centre stage in Thursday’s episode, went into labour late on Sunday 20 September before giving birth to the adorable calf – given the name ‘Ede’by zookeepers – the following morning.
After spotting that Oni was in labour, dedicated keepers kept a watchful eye overnight on CCTV - rejoicing when tiny hooves and stripy legs began to emerge following a 12-hour vigil. The wide-eyed calf took its first wobbly steps minutes later and was tottering around confidently soon after.
ZSL okapi keeper Gemma Metcalf said: “Like all okapis, Oni had a long pregnancy - close to 16 months - so we’ve been excitedly waiting for Edefor a long time.
“As viewers saw last week, her lockdown pregnancy posed some logistical challenges for our team, but despite the Zoo being closed we remained by her side to make sure she had the highest standard of care throughout her third trimester - we’re delighted that both mother and baby are now doing so well.”
Episode 1 of the acclaimed documentary saw zookeepers and vets come together over Microsoft Teams to plan and perform a vital ultrasound on Oni during lockdown, while ensuring everyone involved remained two metres apart – coincidentally the length of an okapi.
“Oni has always been a star in our eyes, but while she’s currently shining on screen she’s also excelling off-screen - at being a brilliant mum.
“Ede is already a feisty young calf and has been bouncing happily around the stables, but Oni is keeping her in their cosy indoor dens until she feels Edeis ready to explore their lush outdoor paddocks - we can’t wait for our visitors to see the newest addition to the zoo family.”
Ede’s birth is exciting news for London’s zoo, but even more important for the global breeding programme for the species, which ensures a healthy population of okapi in zoos across the world. Okapi, found only in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, are classified as Endangered by the IUCN, with their survival threatened by habitat loss and hunting.
Episode 1 of London Zoo: An Extraordinary Year is available to watch on the ITV Hub now, with episode 2 scheduled for broadcast on Thursday 1 October.
ZSL London Zoo reopened to the public on Monday 15 June after an unprecedented three months of closure due to the coronavirus lockdown. The loss of income put the charity zoo under huge financial pressure as they continued to provide the highest level of care for their animals. Now open to limited numbers only, ZSL, the international conservation charity behind the Zoo, is calling on the public to help ensure they stay open by booking a ticket, joining as a member or donating to ZSL at www.zsl.org