Recently captured by our camera traps deep in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, this footage shows an okapi moving freely through its undisturbed rainforest home—a testament to the power of conservation. Protecting these forests means protecting the okapi and countless other species that depend on them. | Okapi Conservation Project

Deep in the heart of the Ituri Forest, the elusive okapi roams beneath the canopy, perfectly adapted to its lush rainforest home. 🌳 This “forest giraffe” plays a vital role in maintaining the ecosystem by consuming and dispersing seeds throughout its habitat. 🌱 Forests like the Ituri are irreplaceable, providing oxygen, storing carbon, and sheltering countless species. But deforestation and habitat loss threaten their future. Protecting okapi means protecting forests—and the countless life for

Toby is the perfect okapi of Subira With their velvet fur, long tongues and striped backends, okapis may look like they're made from leftover parts, but each of their characteristics plays a part in their wild habitats. The stripes camouflage them from predators, their oily fur keeps them dry in the rainforest and their long tongues help them reach the best leaves. | San Diego Zoo

With a tongue that can extend up to 18 inches (45 cm), the okapi uses this remarkable adaptation to skillfully strip leaves, buds, and fruit from the understory trees of the Congo Basin. Their diet, rich in over 100 plant species, helps shape the forest’s biodiversity—an unsung but vital ecological role. Often mistaken as relatives of zebras due to their stripes, okapis are actually the only living relative of the giraffe. Yet unlike their towering cousins, these secretive animals are found sole