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| The okapi wandering through a forest in the Ituri Reserve, eastern Congo. (Photo: Reuters) |
Conservationists are thrilled to report that they have obtained convincing evidence of the existence of a rare creature resembling a giraffe in Virunga National Park, Congo, an area ravaged by bloody conflicts.
First discovered here in 1901, this elusive okapi has been “missing” from the park since 1959. They resemble a hybrid between a giraffe and a zebra, featuring striped thighs and long necks. While it was known that they still existed somewhere in Congo, there were fears that they had gone extinct in the region where they were originally found due to violence and chaos.
However, a recent survey in the area conducted by the WWF conservation group and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation found 17 okapi footprints and other evidence of their presence.
While no images of the animal have been recorded yet, the footprints are clear enough to prove that okapis are still lurking nearby. This species is considered the closest living relative of the giraffe.
“Finding okapis in Virunga National Park is a positive sign,” remarked Marc Languy, a WWF officer in the East Africa Program. “As the country is returning to peace, this discovery indicates that the war-torn reserves are once again becoming a haven for rare wildlife.”
T. An
