Okapis: They’re Real And They’re Cute!

No folks, that’s not a photoshop, that’s an okapi! Once described as “The African Unicorn”, the okapi is a creature native to Africa, that looks like a cross between a horse, a zebra, and a giraffe. Actually, it’s the only living direct relative of the giraffe! Okapis as a whole are known for being very skittish, so baby okapis are handled with extreme care when bred in captivity; in fact, zookeepers often refrain from examining the baby at all, instead monitoring it by closed-circuit camera. For the first month of its life, a baby okapi will not defecate at all, a trait evolved from a fear of predators in the wild. Due to its apparent appearance in ancient Egyptian markings, the okapi is considered to be a ‘living fossil’; a creature with a relation to a long extinct species. Despite previous reports that their numbers were strong, okapis are now believed to be in danger of extinction as a result of deforestation and hunting, so it’s important that we do our best to protect these amazing creatures.