Archive for the ‘Okapi’ Category

May
16

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Okapi

Posted by in Africa,Animal Origins & Fun Facts,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Okapi,Uncategorized

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

Okapi Conservation Project, Democratic Republic of Congo – John Lukas

This not John Lukas but this is an Okapi in Epulu Conservation Station, DRC

John Lukas is the Executive Director of the White Oak Conservation Center in Yule, Florida and the founder of the Okapi Conservation Project.

Striped hindquarters of a OkapiThere is very little that is not amazing about the Okapi. Perfectly colored to blend into the deep forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this distant relative of the Giraffe looks like more like a relative of the Zebra from their striped hindquarters and legs. Currently believed to  exist exclusively in the Ituri Forest of the DRC, a country that is struggling with civil strife, illegal mining operations and illegal logging,  it is a flagship and iconic species for a region which is one of the most biologically diverse in the world.

The species was not discovered by scientists until 1901 which is even more amazing for a mammal the size of a horse

The Okapi is a conservation success story, in a very difficult region, all due to the workd of the Okapi Conservation Project. You can view the Houston Zoo’s Okapi right next to our Elephant exhibit.

John Lukas will be a presenter at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo on October 13, 2012 in San Francisco, CA

Come and visit the Okapi exhibit at the Zoo on May 19th and 20th for our Wildlife Heroes weekend to learn about the alternate protein source effort the Okapi project is attempting to reduce the need for poaching.

 

 

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May
09

Wildlife Heroes is an awesome book, and we have the author coming to the Zoo!

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Bats,Birds,Borneo,Bumblebees,Carnivores,Central America,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Elephant,Endangered Species,Field Research,Going Green,Gorilla,Okapi,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Sea Turtles,South America,What You Can Do

Join us on May 19th and 20th for Wildlife Heroes weekend at the Houston Zoo.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

My first heroes were animal people.  When I went to zoos my heroes were the zoo keepers and when I watched animal documentaries the researchers were my heroes.  We all need amazing people to inspire us and that is why the new book Wildlife Heroes is so wonderful. 

The book includes 40 people overcoming impossible odds to save endangered species all over the world.  If you are looking for real heroes for your children to look up to look now further! 

The unique stories in this book of local communities becoming involved in anti-poaching, education and research efforts for wildlife in their own back yard are immeasurably inspiring!  In one story a young boy, Thia grew up in Northern Vietnam watching his village hunt the very species he fights to save today.  His passion to help a unique species called the pangolin will warm your heart!
 
I have had the honor of meeting many of the heroes in this book (including the authors) over the years and they inspire me to move forward in my own wildlife conservation work.  These are real people making a real difference! 

This book introduces readers to pollinator and amphibian decline and other environment issues that continue to threaten our world.  But it also offers great messages of hope.  In the last chapter Jack Hannah suggests ways the reader can help, and the good news is that by purchasing the Wildlife Heroes book you are already helping- 100 % of the proceeds go to the projects featured in the book.  A win for everyone!

Hope to see you at the Houston Zoo for our Wildlife Heroes weekend May 19th and 20th!

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May
11

The Okapi Conservation Project

Posted by in Africa,community-based conservation,Field Research,Okapi

Okapi

The okapi is a secretive mammal found only in equatorial forests of the African Congo.   There are relatively few okapi in captivity, but the numbers are growing thanks to a program initiated by Florida’s White Oak Conservation Center. White Oak began to build a captive breeding stock two decades ago as a safeguard to ensure this species’ survival, and at the same time established an on-site conservation program  in Democratic Republic of Congo.  Today, all zoos that exhibit okapi from this project and participate in the international breeding program also support field programs of the Okapi Conservation Project.  The most important of these is the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, 8,500 square miles of tropical forest – about half the size of Yellowstone National Park – in which okapi are officially protected along with forest elephants, six species of duikers and 13 species of primates.

The White Oak Conservation Center Okapi Conservation Project, working closely with the Institute in the Congo for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) is considered a model conservation partnership in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  The Project conservation teams are constantly in the field helping ICCN protect the Reserve and teaching the local communities about the importance of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources.

In the last year the Project’s programs provided school curriculum’s in conservation for over 120 nearby schools and held meetings with the community customary chiefs to teach them about the Reserve and to listen and address their concerns.  The agro-forestry team is now working with over 400 farmers bringing them new and more efficient crop producing and reforestation methods for abandoned farmland.  The continued support of the ICCN wardens and rangers includes bonuses for time spent on patrol in the Reserve, technology and equipment including GPS, satellite communication phones, computers, and uniforms.  The Houston Zoo has been a supporter of the Okapi Conservation Project since 2005.

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