Baby Okapi on the way » London Zoo

Baby Okapi on the way
22-05-2008

Just got the ZSL E-Letter, and heres a little section on the new baby expected (please tell me if there is already a thread on this)

Elila, one of ZSL London Zoo’s two okapi, is almost ready to give birth. Towards the end of her pregnancy, her keepers have been measuring her girth weekly, weighing her and taking her temperature to make sure all is going well. This is along side the daily grooming that the okapi receive from their keepers.

Okapi (okapia johnstoni) have a 14 month gestation period, the same as giraffes. Ten year-old Elila is no stranger to motherhood. This is her third time, having successfully given birth to two female carves whilst at ZSL London Zoo.

22-05-2008

I've already posted this information in the 'London Zoo Notes' thread

22-05-2008

Anyone know how many calves have been born at London now?

22-05-2008

Just the two previous ones of this female... they hadn't bred them before. 'Elila' was handraised at Marwell- their first Okapi birth I think.

22-05-2008

London has had previous okapi births, as late as the 1980's there was at least one calf born on the mappins when it was all still moated sand yards. this was when they just had the front part of the current zebra area (the back yard holding wild horses or cattle at that time).

My history of pre 1970's ZSL is fairly bad but mabye there were previous successful okapi births even before then?

22-05-2008

I assume you mean cotton terraces?

I think there was a calf born in the mid-to-late 90's, because the guide books from the time used an image of a mother grooming a calf.

I'm planning on visiting in just over 2 weeks, I guess there'll be little to no chance of seeing a calf then...?

22-05-2008

lol yes I did mean Cotton terraces....can you even imagine....!

I think the shot they used in those brochures etc was a calf from the late 80's/ early 90's though I could be wrong. I visited more regularly through the mid-late 90's and don't remember any calves born...also the enclosure was already much altered by then and the photographs depict the cotton terraces of the 80's or even 70's as far as I can see. I wish I'd kept my old IZN copies, it would be interesting to know the history of breeding okapi at london.

22-05-2008

Here are the three London Okapi births prior to Elila arrival. There were all born to a female born at Bristol - Bilota. Henny and the unnamed male were sired by Kibali and Bibi was sired by Issak.

1984 F Henny (Kibali, Bilota)
1987 F Bibi (Issak, Bilota)
1993 M noname (Kibali, Bilota)

All

22-05-2008

I stand corrected....I can't ever remember seeing any of these earlier calves, I think it was during a period I didn't visit ZSL very much and only at long intervals (that's my excuse) Kibali was later sent to Marwell and for a long time until his death he held the world record for longevity in captivity.

I very much doubt any were ever born at ZSL prior to that. London did not exhibit Okapi at all during the 1950's-70's period, and I believe the very first UK birth was at Bristol (I960's)

22-05-2008

Great news about Elila´s pregnancy, the EEp needs every calf. Another female would be the best, certainly.

I am somewhat surprised that the mortality in adult and young okapis is still so high within Europe (recently 2 deaths in Lisboa, female calf in Stuttgart died in 2007, female calf in Rotterdam sick...), what are they doing wrong?!

23-05-2008

... and the previous female(Xantia) at Bristol did not live there very long either. Being deep forest animals I imagine they are quite delicate and maybe prone to many illness/diseases etc.

23-05-2008

Yes they are...and did you know that for years zoos didnt realize that healthy okapi calves dont necessarily defecate until they are about 2 months old! I believe it was bristol that published this realization in an IZY in the late 1960s?

23-05-2008

yes, they did. They also learnt the hard way to keep them on peat, not hay bedding, as the first calf born there quicky died from Aspergillosis.

23-05-2008

Bristol used to have quite a large breeding group of Okapi back in the 70s and today down to just one pair, hmm

23-05-2008

What happened was initially they stockpiled all the ones they bred at their Country estate- and wouldn't let any other zoos have them for a long time.

Later with the EEP coming into force things changed and they became involved with exchanges, movements etc like the other participating zoos. Since then they have normally only held a single pair of breeding animals at the Zoo. There have been a number of different pairings at Bristol, but the young male currently at Chester Zoo (M'Buti) is actually a seventh generation(unbroken line) from the original pair at Bristol, which is pretty amazing....