Where Do Okapis Live? Rainforests of the Congo Basin

Which country do okapis live in?

The okapi is endemic to the DRC, which means it lives naturally in that country and nowhere else. Its main range stretches from Maiko National Park in the east-central DRC north through the Ituri Forest and west across the river basins of the Rubi, Tele and Ebola. Smaller, scattered populations have been confirmed west and south of the Congo River, partly through DNA taken from dung samples.

The okapi was once also found in the Semuliki Valley of western Uganda, on the border with the DRC, but it disappeared there in the 20th century. Today there are no wild okapis outside the Congo, which makes the species especially vulnerable to anything that happens within that one country.

What kind of habitat do okapis need?

Okapis live in lowland and mid-elevation tropical rainforest, usually at about 500–1,500 m (1,600–4,900 ft) above sea level. They need a closed canopy and plenty of leafy shrubs, saplings and vines at head height, which they browse with their long tongues.

Within the forest they favor places where light reaches the ground, such as gaps left by fallen trees and the edges of streams, because these support the young growth they like to eat. They may visit seasonally flooded areas and rocky outcrops, but they generally avoid swamp forest, open grassland and land cleared for farms and villages.

The okapi’s body suits this habitat well. Its oily coat sheds rain, its large ears catch faint sounds, and its eyes are adapted for dim light under the canopy. Its striped legs blend into the flickering shade, a trait explained further in Is an okapi a zebra?

How do okapis use their home range?

Okapis are mostly solitary. Each adult moves through a home range that overlaps with those of neighbors. Males travel more widely, with ranges averaging about 13 km² (5 sq mi), while females tend to stay in smaller areas of a few square kilometers.

Densities are low, often less than one okapi per square kilometer, so a large area of forest is needed to support a healthy population. Okapis follow regular paths, mark them with scent, and keep mostly out of sight. They are active mainly by day, with some movement in the first hours after dark.

What is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve?

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve was created in 1992 to protect the okapi and the Ituri Forest. It covers about 13,700 km² (5,300 sq mi), roughly one-fifth of the Ituri Forest, and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is also home to forest elephants, chimpanzees and many other species, and to Mbuti and Efe people who have lived in the forest for generations.

The reserve’s headquarters at Epulu has long been a center for okapi research and protection. In 2012 it was attacked by armed poachers, who killed several people and all 14 okapis kept at the station. Since 1997 the reserve has been on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger because of insecurity, mining and poaching. Other important okapi areas include Maiko National Park and the Rubi-Tele reserve.

Why are okapi habitats shrinking?

The IUCN lists the okapi as Endangered, and its population is decreasing. The main threats to its forest home are:

• Logging and farming, which open up the canopy and bring roads and settlements into the forest.
• Illegal mining for gold and coltan, which creates camps whose workers often hunt for food.
• Snaring and poaching for bushmeat and skins, even though okapis are fully protected by law.
• Armed conflict, as militia groups operate in and around protected areas and make ranger patrols dangerous.

Because okapis live in only one country and need large blocks of undisturbed forest, losing even part of that habitat has a big effect. Conservation programs work with rangers and local communities to protect the remaining forest.

Where can you see an okapi?

Seeing an okapi in the wild is extremely rare, even for scientists who study them; much of what is known comes from camera traps, tracks and dung. For most people, zoos are the only place to see one. Zoos in Europe and North America keep okapis in coordinated breeding programs, with the international studbook managed by Antwerp Zoo in Belgium.

Zoos also help fund protection of the okapi’s forest in the Congo. The okapi’s taller relative, the giraffe, lives in very different habitat: the open savannas and dry woodlands of eastern and southern Africa.