First pictures of elusive okapi

These are the first pictures of the elusive okapi in the wild by camera trap. They were taken by ZSL’s team in Watalinga forest in the north of Virunga National Park in eastern DRC.

 

Okapi droppings are like round pebbles. They are one of the first signs that okapi are not far away.Thierry (right), monitoring officer for ZSL’s conservation project in the park, with a ranger. He is showing him how to install the camera trap.This is the first picture of an okapi. The camera was having some problems, which is a shame as it was looking straight towards us.Luckily 11 days later the team got this one, which shows an okapi hesitating to cross the camera.But a minute later she is feeding on the bushes, showing off her striped backside to the camera.She now turns around to give a look to confirm the camera is still there.Finally a shot at 02:33 in the early hours of the morning, which is new evidence that okapi don’t just feed during the daytime as previously assumed.