Rare Baby Okapi Takes First Steps Into Outside World At Chester Zoo

The okapi is also the only known living relative of the Giraffe and is the national symbol of the DRC, with the species protected under Congolese law. However, despite their protected status under the law, the species has suffered a 50 per cent decline in the past two decades by poachers actions towards their species. Therefore, the species is listed as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Nick Davis, Deputy Curator of Mammals at Chester Zoo, added: These gentle creatures have been heavily targeted by poachers in recent years, mainly as a result of the illegal bushmeat trade, which is growing across nearly all of its natural range – making conservation efforts to protect these animals really difficult.