Okapi

Seventeen distinctive tracks in eastern Congo's Virunga National Park have heralded the reemergence of the shy okapi, a kissing cousin of the giraffe that hasn't been seen in the park in nearly 50 years. The rare species, which has an elongated neck and the striped legs of zebra, has gone unnoticed because rough terrain and civil war have made the area hard to patrol, according to World Wildlife Fund conservationists, who announced the find on 9 June 2006. To ensure the okapi's long-term protection, conservationists advocate environmental education and more clearly marking the park's boundaries.

Brookfield Zoo has a long and successful history with okapi. The first okapi - and the first in any U.S. zoo - arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 1955. And, in 1959, Brookfield Zoo was the first zoo in the U.S. to have a baby okapi born.

Visit the okapi at Brookfield Zoo, Habitat Africa! The Forest. For more information, please visit the Brookfield Zoo Library.

(Photo: Peter J. Stephenson/WWF-Canon/Reuters)