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Behind the Scenes
We've released amazing video taken by keepers, showing the moment our newest resident-to-be began kicking mum for the first time!
Our team have been monitoring the pregnancy of one of our most endangered species, six-year-old Oni the okapi - while appealing to the public and the government for urgent financial support.
The amazing video shows Oni’s stomach rippling in waves with the force of the tiny calf’s hoof kicks, as she enters her third trimester: due this September, the little one is an important part of the international breeding programme for the elusive species, which is endangered in the wild and needs support from conservation organisations such as ZSL for its continued survival.
ZSL is a charity and every day that we are closed to the public is another day’s worth of funds we must raise to keep our two Zoos running smoothly, our scientists investigating wildlife diseases such as COVID-19, and our conservationists working in the field to protect critically endangered species. The future of this iconic national institution now hangs in the balance: as well as asking the government for support, ZSL has a live public appeal.
