Okapis are rare, secretive forest ungulates closely related to giraffes whose welfare in captivity depends on appropriate social housing, low-stress environments, and specialised dietary provision.
Okapis are among the most stress-sensitive animals in zoo collections. Their naturally solitary and secretive lifestyle means that inappropriate social pressure or excessive visitor exposure causes measurable welfare harm. Zoos must provide extensive visual screening, quiet keeper routines, and appropriate separation of individuals except during managed introductions. Their specialised diet requires sourcing of appropriate browse species and careful nutritional management. Okapis have occasionally died from stress-induced capture myopathy even during routine procedures — all handling must be approached with extreme care and ideally conditioned through positive reinforcement training.