Elusive Okapi Species Found Alive and Well in Virunga National Park

VIRUNGA NATIONAL PARK, DRC--The okapi, an elusive mammal also known as "the forest giraffe," has been photographed for the first time in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), proving that the species is surviving there despite years of civil war. With no reported sightings in decades, ecologists had feared the species had become extinct in the Virunga forests.

The photographs were taken by camera traps set by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN).

"To have captured the first-ever photographs of such a charismatic creature is amazing, and particularly special for ZSL given that the species was originally described here over a century ago," said Dr. Noelle Kumpel, ZSL's Bushmeat and Forests Conservation Programme Manager.

The key distinguishing features of the okapi are its black, giraffe-like tongue, dark back, and striking zebra-like markings on its front and back legs. The stripes on the back legs extend all the way up the animal's rear, giving it a particularly exotic appearance.

The okapi species (Okapia johnstoni) was last seen in Virunga National Park on the west bank of the Semliki River almost 50 years ago, the ZSL said. The photographs are of a previously unrecorded okapi population on the east side of the river.

"We have already identified three individuals, and further survey work will enable us to estimate population numbers and distribution in and around the park, which is a critical first step in targeting conservation efforts," said Thierry Lusenge, a member of ZSL's survey team.

ZSL started the okapi project, with funding from the European Union, two months ago in northern Virunga National Park in eastern DRC.

To view the photographs, click here.

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