Who’s this? Meet Mosi, a floppy-eared okapi calf born at the San Diego Zoo. What’s an okapi? The okapi, the only living relative of the giraffe, is a large animal that lives in the Ituri Forest—a dense rain forest in central Africa, located in the northeast region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire). Its zebra-like white-and-black striped hindquarters and front legs give the okapi added camouflage in the partial sunlight that filters through its rain forest habitat.
The species is very cautious, and okapis use their highly developed hearing to alert them before humans can get close. In fact, while natives of the Ituri Forest knew of okapis, scientists did not know of the animal until 1900. Today, the Okapi is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, due to hunting and continued habitat loss.
Learn more about Mosi here:http://zoonooz.sandiegozoo.org/2017/08/17/san-diego-zoo-animal-care-staff-welcomes-mosi-first-endangered-okapi-born-at-the-zoo-in-four-years/
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