Okapis are shy, forest-dwelling relatives of giraffes. Their welfare in captivity requires careful replication of their secretive, solitary forest lifestyle.
Okapi welfare in captivity depends above all on minimising stress. These are among the most stress-sensitive large mammals in zoo collections — their capture myopathy risk means that even routine handling can be fatal. Best-practice facilities provide large, private enclosures with visual barriers that replicate the screening effect of dense forest, carefully controlled sound environments, and patient, low-pressure husbandry that allows okapis to habituate gradually to keepers. Dietary management — providing the browse variety their long tongues are adapted to exploit — requires significant horticultural investment. The conservation justification for zoo okapis is strong: the Ituri Forest faces severe ongoing pressures, and the captive population provides genetic insurance and conservation funding through public education.