A rare and endangered male okapi calf, a species often referred to as the “Unicorn of Africa” due to its elusive nature, was born at the San Antonio Zoo, according to officials.
Born Saturday, the calf is the first son of parents Ludimi and Epulu. Zoo officials described the birth of the animal, which resembles a cross between a deer and a zebra, as a win for zoological conservation.
Okapi — the giraffe’s only living relative — are native to the northwest jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, their habitat is under constant attack by illegal logging, mining and urban expansion. Due to those threats, the Congo Basin Rainforest is at risk of losing more than a quarter of its ecosystem by 2050, according to the Observatory for Central Africa Forests.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome this adorable okapi calf into our San Antonio Zoo family,” San Antonio Zoo President and CEO Tim Morrow said in an emailed statement.
The newborn will remain behind the scenes with his mom until he’s ready to explore his habitat. That means he won’t be visible to visitors until he’s a little older. In the meantime, Morrow invited the public to follow the calf’s “extraordinary journey” on the zoo’s social-media platforms.
The zoo also is auctioning off the right to name the baby okapi during the 41st Annual Zoobilation Ball on Nov. 10. Proceeds will raise funds to care for other animals that call the facility home.
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This article appears in Sep 6-19, 2023.
