Okapi

Okapi are kept at Bristol, Chester, London and Marwell 3.3 at Marwell, 1.1 at the others. Chester are expecting another male.
 
Yes, chester would like to have lots of okapi, and they will go into the forest zone (well should do) when the zoo has completed the zoning programme.
 
What zoo would not like lots of Okapi, hehe, Bristol zoo used to have quite a few in the 70s, but I think they only have two these days
 
I think that Bristol was the first U.K zoo to house Okapis.

Chester's Okapi were courting when I last went. Mbuti was trying to mate stuma, but she was being quite stubborn and would not go along with it. Tim Rowlands was watching, to make sure that it didn't come to violence.
Do you want be to upload the clips of this onto the gallery?
 
Females are the harder commodity here! New holders are far more likely to be allowed to start out with 2 males. Slowly, they will then start thinking of giving out a female for breeding purposes. If all that is successfull, perhaps a second female may be loaned out.

By then a zoo is just 5-6 years down the line. Currently, there is a freeze on new holders in the Okapi EEP. The new holders Leipzig, Dvur, Beauval and Chester must all be seen to be making a real effort to manage these sensitive okapi .....
 
Jelle, are there any Captive bred Okapis coming out of that Congo breeding centre these days which is funded by a few zoos? or is that not happering any more?.
 
Well Mark,

I know the Okapi EEP is still in close contact with the Epulu station and funds the operation and management of the facility. However, I can not remember any okapi coming out of D.R. Congo to infuse new genes in the captive stocks in the N-American SSP and EEP's.

I would like to check with the studbook keeper as I think that both the Antwerpen, Rotterdam and Basel stocks where all separate imports in the late 1960's.
 
From what I understand the White oaks conervation centre in the US were or are involed with the Epulu station and had imported a few new captive bred Okapis a few back in the 80s or 90s?, there is some information about that on their website I think.
 
Mark,

Your were right. Gillman Corp acquired 2 males born from Epulu and 1 wild born female in the early 1990's. In 1993 they kept 4.4 (with 2.0 born at White Oak). Nowadays they keep 5.10 individuals. Unheard of in Europe!

It is to be hoped some more okapi females can be sourced from the N. American SSP for the European programme. The population here could sure do with new genes. :cool:
 
DID you say 15 Okapis, Oh boy, would you know if any US zoos have swapped any males with European zoos on breeding loans?
 
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