Okapis are secretive forest giraffids from the Congo Basin that are extremely difficult to observe in the wild. Their captive management requires careful attention to their naturally solitary and shy nature.
Captive okapi welfare depends fundamentally on respect for their naturally shy and solitary nature. They habituate poorly to constant visitor exposure and require areas of visual shelter from public view. Permanent social housing of adults causes chronic stress; animals should be housed individually with adjacent paddocks allowing choice-based proximity. Diet complexity must include a wide variety of browse species; nutritional adequacy from limited commercial sources is insufficient for this specialist browser. Okapis are sensitive to temperature and require tropical-standard indoor facilities in cooler climates. The difficulty of welfare assessment in such a naturally secretive species requires investment in behavioral monitoring technology and keeper training.