Sever, Z. (2021). Review: Okapi translocations. Submitted to Uganda wildlife authority (UWA) as a background towards "The Okapi restoration to Uganda project", January, 6 pp.

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January 2020
Review: Okapi translocations
Submitted to Uganda wildlife authority (UWA) as a background towards "The Okapi
restoration to Uganda project",
sever.zvi@gmail.com
,
Zvi Sever, Ph.D.
Contents
2020- Plans to reintroduce okapi in the wild- in Uganda....................................................1
-zoo as an insurance population for future released in the wild 2020................................1
-Okapi transport, 2020...............................................................................................2
2018- A plan to ship Okapis from DRC to Zimbabwe, and to China?..................................2
2017- Importing Okapi into Australia ..............................................................................3
2015- Okapi's Genetic structure with implications for translocation ...................................3
2013- Okapi's transport in Europe ..................................................................................4
1948- Okapi first avian transportation (to Copenhagen).....................................................5
1937- The first Okapi in America (in Bronx Zoo).............................................................5
1919- The first live Okapi in Europe (in Antwerp Zoo) .....................................................5
------------------------------------
2020- Plans to reintroduce okapi in the wild- in Uganda
Sever Z. 2020. Searching for the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) in Semuliki National Park,
Uganda. Afr. J. Ecol. 00: 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12796
Or
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aje.12796
Sever, Z. 2018. Survey and Recommendation: Reintroducing the Okapi to
Uganda. The Zoological Society of Israel, 55th
Conference, Abstracts, p.10.
https://www.slideshare.net/zevsev/sever2018-okapi-survey-and-recommendation
-zoo as an insurance population for future released in the wild 2020
https://www.zooscience.be/en/breeding-programmes/okapi/
Despite the fact that there are no plans to reintroduce okapi in the wild yet, we do
manage the zoo population as an insurance population which could possibly be
released in the wild in the future.

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As international studbook keeper and coordinator of the European population
management programme, our curator Sander Hofman is responsible for advising on
how the okapi in the EEP can best be managed to maintain a genetically and
demographically healthy population based, among other things, on scientific research.
-Okapi transport, 2020
http://theokapi.org/Husbandry/transport.aspx
2018- A plan to ship Okapis from DRC to Zimbabwe, and to China?
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/11/plan-to-ship-gorillas-from-drc-to-zimbabwe-
raises-alarm/
Plan to ship gorillas from DRC to Zimbabwe raises alarm
by Andrew Mambondiyani on 16 November 2018
 The head of Zimbabwe’s wildlife authority says the agency plans to receive a
donation of gorillas and okapis from the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), part of a wildlife exchange program that recently saw 10 white rhinos
sent to the DRC from Zimbabwe.
 The plan, officials say, is still being worked out. But the prospect has raised
alarm over the welfare of the animals, the impact on the local ecosystem, and
the possibility that animals from the DRC could be infected with Ebola.
 Zimbabwe has previously sold wild animals for display in China, leading
some activists to fear the gorillas and okapis could ultimately end up in that
country — an allegation Zimbabwean authorities strongly deny.
In September, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks)
revealed that the country would soon receive a donation of gorillas from the DRC.

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Okapis (Okapia johnstoni), an endangered species also known as forest giraffes, will
also be translocated from the DRC, Zimparks director-general Fulton Upenyu
Mangwanya told local media during a visit to a nature reserve.
2017- Importing Okapi into Australia
https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/consultations/6a6e6798-66c4-4e41-b768-
5569af2b332b/files/draft-asessment-report-okapi.pdf
Live animal imports of exotic species/specimens
Preparing a draft assessment report and application to amend the List of Specimens
taken to be Suitable for Live Import (Live Import List)
Terms of Reference 1. Provide information on the taxonomy of the species.
Common name: Okapi Scientific name: Okapia johnstoni Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Cetartiodactyla Family: Giraffidae Genus:
Okapia The Okapi, Okapia johnstoni, is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the
northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are no subspecies of the Okapi
listed1 . 2. Provide information on the status of the species under CITES.
Continued..
2015- Okapi's Genetic structure with implications for translocation
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10592-015-0726-0
or
http://orca.cf.ac.uk/73677/
Genetic structure of captive and free-ranging okapi (Okapia johnstoni) with
implications for management.
Stanton, D.W.G., Helsen, P., Shephard, J., Leus, K., Penfold, L., Hart, J., Kümpel, N.F., Ewen,
J.G., Wang, J., Galbusera, P. & Bruford, M.W. 2015. Genetic structure of captive and free-
ranging okapi (Okapia johnstoni) with implications for management. Conservation Genetics.
DOI: 10.1007/s10592-015-0726-0
Abstract
Breeding programs for endangered species increasingly use molecular genetics to
inform their management strategies.
Molecular approaches can be useful for investigating relatedness, resolving pedigree
uncertainties, and for estimating genetic diversity in captive and wild populations.
Genetic data can also be used to evaluate the representation of wild population
genomes within captive population gene-pools.
Maintaining a captive population that is genetically representative of its wild
counterpart offers a means of conserving the original evolutionary potential of a
species. Okapi, an even-toed ungulate, endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo,
have recently been reclassified as Endangered by the IUCN.
We carried out a genetic assessment of the ex-situ okapi (Okapia johnstoni)

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population, alongside an investigation into the genetic structure of wild populations
across their geographic range.
We found that while levels of nuclear (12 microsatellite loci) genetic variation in the
wild, founder and captive okapi populations were similar, mitochondrial (833 bp of
Cyt b, CR, tRNA-Thr and tRNA-Pro) variation within captive okapi was
considerably reduced compared to the wild, with 16 % lower haplotype diversity.
Further, both nuclear and mitochondrial alleles present in captivity provided only
partial representation of those present in the wild.
Thirty mitochondrial haplotypes found in the wild were not found in captivity, and
two haplotypes found in captivity were not found in the wild, and the patterns of
genetic variation at microsatellite loci in our captive samples were considerably
different to those of the wild samples.
Our study highlights the importance of genetic characterisation of captive
populations, even for well-managed ex-situ breeding programs with detailed
studbooks.
We recommend that the captive US population should be further genetically
characterised to guide management of translocations between European and US
captive populations.
Keywords: Captive; Wild; Ex-situ; In-situ; Founder
2013- Okapi's transport in Europe
https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/Zooquaria/ZQ85.pdf
The Okapi Sanctuary, a forest space devoted to the iconic okapi and the biodiversity
of its native region, is the only one of its kind in the world. Our Great South American
Aviary, delighting visitors with the chance to see birds close up and in flight, has been
a great success and we wanted to repeat this enthralling experience by creating a new
total immersion space. So we designed a new aviary with a mixture of species, the
first of its kind to share the same space as okapis. This new landscaped area brings
visitors right into its heart and perfectly reflects the philosophy of Bioparc de Doué la
Fontaine. Doué la Fontaine had been awaiting the arrival of okapis for more than 30
years, ever since Louis and Pierre Gay toured around the zoos of Europe in the quest
to learn from their colleagues. But it was François who had the chance to realise the
family dream when he was approached in 2012 by Sander Hoffman, coordinator of
the okapi breeding programme. With the opening of the Sanctuary in July 2013, the

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Bio-parc joined the ranks of the handful of European zoos to host okapis, becoming
the only one to have them cohabiting with other species. The first two males, one
from Stuttgart Zoo and the other from Lisbon Zoo, share their enclosure with over
20 species of bird and two other mammals – the owl-faced monkey and the Natal red
duiker, a forest antelope. We wanted to give our okapis the most densely planted
environment to allow them to spend all their time moving about in the undergrowth,
as in their natural habitat.
1948- Okapi first avian transportation (to Copenhagen)
Lindsey, S., Green, M.N., Bennet, C. (1999) The Okapi, Mysterious Animals of the
Congo-Zaire. University of Texas Press. P. 57.
1937- The first Okapi in America (in Bronx Zoo)
Lindsey, S., Green, M.N., Bennet, C. (1999) The Okapi, Mysterious Animals of the
Congo-Zaire. University of Texas Press. P. 57.
1919- The first live Okapi in Europe (in Antwerp Zoo)
https://books.google.co.il/books?id=aMgTAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT110&lpg=PT110&dq
=TRANSLOCATION+OF+OKAPI&source=bl&ots=SUyeI0FCm_&sig=ACfU3U1C
OIpITZyrPEVW8aWSIwIm28CDpA&hl=iw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjtur2049ntAhU
gQxUIHccFCd44HhDoATAFegQIBhAC#v=onepage&q&f=false
Chris Lavers (.
0202
) The Natural History Of Unicorns
8.1 Okapi

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