With only 10,000 okapis remaining in the wild—down from 40,000 a decade ago—little was known about the creatures, which are native to the forests of Central Africa.
Ongoing threats from armed conflict, habitat fragmentation, human encroachment, and poaching have rendered the species endangered in the last year.
Only known to the Western world since 1901, the elusive okapi is nearly impossible to observe in the wild because its sense of hearing and smell are extremely acute.
Using genetic techniques similar to those used in crime scene forensics, scientists have been able to piece together a better understanding of the species.
The researchers analyzed okapi feces collected from the rainforest, skin samples from museums, clippings of dried skin, and artifacts found in villages of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Genetic diversity
“Our research showed that okapi are both genetically distinct and diverse—not what you might expect from an endangered animal at low numbers,” says chief investigator of the study David Stanton of Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences.
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“Higher genetic diversity means that the okapi are equipped with the necessary genes capable of withstanding changes to their environment,” he says.
“Beyond that they are also more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing their own resilient genetic traits. Consequently, the population will continue for more generations because of the success of these individuals.
“This rich and distinct genetic variation is likely to be a result of periods of forest fragmentation and expansion in the Congo Basin in the ancient past. The data show that okapi have survived through historic changes in climate, and therefore indicate that the species may be more resilient to future changes.
“There is a concern, however, that much of this genetic diversity will be lost in the near future, due to rapidly declining populations in the wild making efforts to conserve the species, facilitated by the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group, critical.”
The world’s ‘second lung’
The latest research, published in PLOS ONE, into the okapi offers conservationists a new perspective to better understand the diversity of wildlife in the forests of Central Africa, and provides valuable information on how these forests are likely to have changed throughout ancient history.
The information can also be used to help conserve other animals in the Congo Basin—an area for which very little is known and where funding for conservation work is extremely limited.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the most bio-diverse country in Africa and its basin acts as the world’s second lung, counterpart to the rapidly dwindling Amazon. It is home to other endangered species such as the bonobo and the Congo peafowl.
Funded by the Natural Environment Research Council, the project was conducted in collaboration with the Zoological Society of London.
Source: Cardiff University
