Okapi in the UK

JoS

New Member
New to the forums so many apologies if this has already been asked!

Does anyone have a list of which okapi are at which UK zoos please?

Thanks so much!
 
Zootierliste (an excellent resource for European zoos) lists okapis at the following collections:

Branton (Yorkshire Wildlife Park)
Bristol (Wild Place)
Chester (Zoo)
London (Zoo)
Winchester (Marwell Zoo)

I can't vouch for the number of individuals at each collection though, or whether this is up to date.
 
Zootierliste (an excellent resource for European zoos) lists okapis at the following collections:

Branton (Yorkshire Wildlife Park)
Bristol (Wild Place)
Chester (Zoo)
London (Zoo)
Winchester (Marwell Zoo)

I can't vouch for the number of individuals at each collection though, or whether this is up to date.
Not the UK I know, but Dublin hold Okapi too.
 
Chester Zoo
Semuliki (M) (Chester Zoo) (27/04/18)
K'tusha (F) (from
Stomp (M) (arrived at Chester from Stuttgart in 2016 and brought number of Okapi at Chester to 4)
Prior/Other Individuals
Stuma (F) (deceased?)
Dicky (M) (?)
Usala (M) (?) (born in 2015, brought number of Okapi in UK to 14, second calf born at Chester)
Tafari (F) (?) (born in 2012, first calf born at Chester)
Mbuti (M) (?)

Yorkshire Wildlife Park (2)
Nuru (M) (Antwerp Zoo, Belgium)
Ruby (F) (Wild Place Project in Bristol)

According to YWP website there are:
* 170 individuals in captivity around the world
* 14 individuals in UK zoos
* 4 zoos in the UK that hold Okapi
* < 70 individuals in the European breeding programme (Chester zoo website says 68 Okapi in Europe)
This page was put together when the Okapi moved in to YWP in May 2018 so I'm not sure how up to date the information is (there may have been births/deaths/transfers since)
 
I know Ruby left Wild Place o go to Yorkshire, but I am sure they had two youngsters around the times Ruby was a youngster and I'm sure there was 5 there then? Does anyone know where the other youngster went, if there was five ?
 
Chester Zoo
Semuliki (M) (Chester Zoo) (27/04/18)
K'tusha (F) (from
Stomp (M) (arrived at Chester from Stuttgart in 2016 and brought number of Okapi at Chester to 4)
Prior/Other Individuals
Stuma (F) (deceased?)
Dicky (M) (?)
Usala (M) (?) (born in 2015, brought number of Okapi in UK to 14, second calf born at Chester)
Tafari (F) (?) (born in 2012, first calf born at Chester)
Mbuti (M) (?)

Chester now hold 4.1
That is Dicky, Stomp and Semuliki (M)
And K’tusha (only Female)
Stuma died (I think last year) and wasn’t replaced.
Usala and Tafari have both left to other zoos, I’m not sure where, but I think Usala went to the US.
 
Chester now hold 4.1
That is Dicky, Stomp and Semuliki (M)
And K’tusha (only Female)
Stuma died (I think last year) and wasn’t replaced.
Usala and Tafari have both left to other zoos, I’m not sure where, but I think Usala went to the US.

Shouldn't that be 3:1 (M:F)?
Also thanks for the info, I was pretty sure Stuma had died but just wasn't sure when and I thought Usala and Tafari would have been moved when/if they got to the right age. The only one I really wasn't sure about was Dicky as I thought he was brought in specifically to breed with Stuma and I assumed he would have been moved on after she died. I am fairly certain Stomp was paired with K'tusha and will likely remain to breed with her again. Semuliki will likely move on as well though I am not sure exactly what age calves leave their mothers (I think it's just before they reach 2 but I could be wrong). I wonder if they will look at bringing in another female to breed with Dicky or move him elsewhere, they may also look for a female for Semuliki if they don't move him on.
 
Stuma died at the end of 2017

Usala moved to Opole Zoo in Poland last year.

Tafari was transferred to Zoo Parc Beauval in March 2015. She gave birth to a male calf in August 2018

Chester had two males living behind the Giraffes for a while. They arrived in Autumn 2012. One of these was Kheri. Kheri was born in Rotterdam and left Chester to go onto White Oak in the United States. The other was Kivu (Born in Stuttgart) who's now at Wild Place
 
SUMMARY (14 OKAPI IN 5 UK ZOOS/COLLECTIONS) (I am unsure of Marwell Zoo but the rest should be right)

London Zoo (3) (1:2:0):
Mbuti (M)
Oni (F)
Meghan (F)

Chester Zoo (4) (3:1:0):
Dicky (M)
Stomp (M)
Semuliki (M)
K'tusha (F)

Yorkshire Wildlife Park (2) (1:1:0):
Nuru (M)
Ruby (F)

Bristol (Wild Place Project) (3) (1:2:0):
Kivu (M)
Kabibi (F)
Lodja (F)

Marwell Zoo (2) (1:1:0):
Jabari (M)
Daphne (F)
 
The Okapi Conservation Network provides a list of facilities holding Okapi (list below), but not the individuals they hold. Looking at it there are not a lot of them around the world. The site links to websites of zoos that hold Okapi but does not list how many each manages. (Around the world there are 52 collections holding Okapi in 14 countries).

Europe (22 collections holding Okapi) (12 countries):
Belgium (1):
Antwerp Zoo (Antwerp)
Czech Republic (1): Dvur Kralove Zoo (Dvur Kralove nad Labem)
Denmark (1): Copenhagen Zoo (Copenhagen)
France (2): Bioparc Zoo De Doue La Fontaine (Doue la Fontaine)
ZooParc de Beauval (Saint-Aignan)
Germany (6): Berlin Zoological Garden (Berlin)
Frankfurt Zoological Garden (Frankfurt)
Kolner Zoo (Cologne)
Wilhelma Zoo (Stuttgart)
Wuppertal Zoo (Wuppertal)
Zoo Leipzig (Leipzig)
Ireland (1): Dublin Zoo (Dublin)
Italy (1): Parco Zoo Falconara (Ancona)
Poland (1): Wroclaw Zoo (Wroclaw)
Portugal (1): Lisbon Zoo (Lisbon)
Switzerland (1): Zoo Basel (Basel)
Zoo Zurich (Zurich)
The Netherlands (2): Rotterdam Zoo (Rotterdam)
Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Hilvarenbeek)
United Kingdom (4): Bristol Zoo (Bristol)
Chester Zoo (Chester)
London Zoo (London)
Marwell Zoo (Owslebury)
The Americas/USA (27 collections holding Okapi (15/50 states)):
California (2):
Greater Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (Los Angeles)
San Diego Zoo (San Diego)
Colorado (2): Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (Colorado Springs)
Denver Zoo (Denver)
Florida (5): Disney's Animal Kingdom (Lake Buena Vista)
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (Jacksonville)
Lowry Park Zoo (Tampa Bay)
Zoo Miami (Miami)
White Oak Conservation (Yulee)
Illinois (2): The Brookfield Zoo (Chicago)
Lincoln Park Zoo (Chicago)
Iowa (1): Blank Park Zoo (Des Moines)
Kansas (2): Tanganyika Wildlife Park (Goddard)
Sedgwick County Zoo (Wichita)
Maryland (1): Maryland Zoo (Baltimore)
Missouri (1): St Louis Zoo (St Louis)
Nebraska (1): Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Omaha)
New York (1): Bronx Zoo (New York City)
Ohio (2): Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens (Cincinnati)
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Columbus)
Oklahoma (1): Oklahoma City Zoo (Oklahoma City)
Pennsylvania (1): Philadelphia Zoo (Philadelphia)
Tennessee (2): Memphis Zoo (Memphis)
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere (Nashville)
Texas (3): Dallas Zoo (Dallas)
Houston Zoo (Houston)
San Antonio Zoo and Aquarium (San Antonio)
Asia (3 collections holding Okapi):
Japan (3):
Kanazawa Zoo (Yokohama)
Ueno Zoological Gardens (Tokyo)
Zoorasia (Yokohama)
 
The Okapi Conservation Network provides a list of facilities holding Okapi (list below), but not the individuals they hold. Looking at it there are not a lot of them around the world. The site links to websites of zoos that hold Okapi but does not list how many each manages. (Around the world there are 52 collections holding Okapi in 14 countries).

Bear in mind that that list is at least a fair bit out of date as it's missing Yorkshire WP. ;)
 
I think it's because Wild Place Project is operated by the Bristol Zoological Society who also operate Bristol Zoo Gardens
If the list was from 2014, I think both Bristol Zoo and Wild Place may have had them at that time! I can't remember exactly when the last okapi left Bristol Zoo though
Edit - looking back, the last 2 okapi left the zoo on 7th November 2014.Wild Place held them since opening in 2013
 
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Shouldn't that be 3:1 (M:F)?
Also thanks for the info, I was pretty sure Stuma had died but just wasn't sure when and I thought Usala and Tafari would have been moved when/if they got to the right age. The only one I really wasn't sure about was Dicky as I thought he was brought in specifically to breed with Stuma and I assumed he would have been moved on after she died. I am fairly certain Stomp was paired with K'tusha and will likely remain to breed with her again. Semuliki will likely move on as well though I am not sure exactly what age calves leave their mothers (I think it's just before they reach 2 but I could be wrong). I wonder if they will look at bringing in another female to breed with Dicky or move him elsewhere, they may also look for a female for Semuliki if they don't move him on.

Yes sorry, shows my maths skills set

I hope they do bring in another female, but they might have to move dicky on as he is quite submissive (evident when he was with Stuma, although maybe that was her being very dominant). I wouldn’t know where they’d source a compatible female from though.

Calves are weaned at six months, and gradually become less close with their mothers, although I’m uncertain at what age they leave their mothers for good and move on.
 
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