$~~~~$The okapi is a mammal living above the equator in one of the most biodiverse areas in central Africa. The animal was unknown to the western world until the beginning of the 20th century, and is often described as half-zebra, half-giraffe, as if it were a mixed-breed creature from a Greek legend. Yet its image is prevalent in the Democratic Republic of Congo—the only country in the world where it is found living in the wild. The okapi is to Congo what the giant panda is to China or the kangaroo to Australia.
$~~~~$Although the okapi has striped markings resembling those of zebras’, it is most closely related to the giraffe. It has a long neck, and large, flexible ears. The face and throat are greyish white. The coat is a chocolate to reddish brown, much in contrast with the white horizontal stripes and rings on the legs and white ankles. Overall, the okapi can be easily distinguished from its nearest relative. It is much smaller (about the size of a horse), and shares more external similarities with the deer than with the giraffe. While both sexes possess horns in the giraffe, only males bear horns in the okapi.
$~~~~$The West got its first whiff of the okapi in 1890 when Welsh journalist Henry Morton Stanley had puzzled over a strange “African donkey” in his book. Other Europeans in Africa had also heard of an animal that they came to call the “African unicorn.” Explorers may have seen the fleeting view of the striped backside as the animal fled through the bushes, leading to speculation that the okapi was some sort of rainforest zebra. Some even believed that the okapi was a new species of zebra. It was only later, when okapi skeleton was analyzed, that naturalists realized they had a giraffe on their hands.
$~~~~$In 1987, the Okapi Wildlife Reserve was established in eastern Congo to protect this rare mammal. But decades of political turbulence has seen much of the Congo’s natural resources spin out of the government’s control, and okapi numbers have fallen by 50 percent since 1995. Today, only 10,000 remain.