Okapis reside in the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.

Okapis live 20 - 30 years.

Okapis are herbivores (plant eaters) that eat a diet of leaves, shoots, fruit and fungi. They also eat clay and charcoal (from burnt trees) to help neutralise toxins in plants and to gain minerals.

Okapis are generally solitary - they prefer to live on their own so have no group name. Though they can be found together when mating or when a mother is raising her calf.

African Plains

Although the black and white stripes on an okapi's back legs are similar to that of a zebra - they are not related to the zebra. The okapi's closest living relatives are giraffes. Okapi are even sometimes referred to as 'forest giraffes'.

Okapi are mainly diurnal (active during the daytime) and tend to live in their own fixed territories (areas). Okapi are mainly solitary (prefer to live on their own) except when females and males come together to mate and when a mother is looking after its calf. Infant okapis spend most of their time in their nest/hide under the protection of their mother during their first two months. After this time an infant can travel with its mother through the dark rainforest by following her stripes.

Calf

Around 14 months

1

Around 16kg

2-3 years

The okapi is listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest.

Estimates range between 15,000 - 50,000 in the wild (believed to be closer to the lower range).

Threats to the okapi include habitat loss, hunting, deforestation and civil unrest.

Dublin Zoo is part of an international breeding programme for okapi and also partners with the Okapi Conservation Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help monitor and protect okapi populations.