When you first see an Okapi your initial immediate thought is that someone left the barn door open and a horse met a zebra. Yet, the strange looking animal actually is more closely related to the giraffe than it is the zebra! With somewhat long necks and massive tongues, they are a breed unto their own. Like the giraffe, the blue tongues of the Okapi are about 12 inches long - so extended, in fact, that it is the only mammal that can clean its own ears!

With only about 15,000 left in the entire world, the effort to save them is underway. Unfortunately, the only known reserve for the Okapi is in the war-torn Congo. Many times rangers and conservation officials have had to flee armed rebels. The Okapi Faunal Reserve is the only known place with the unique and fascinating mammal, although there have been recent reports of spotting the endangered species in other Congo National Parks. Since most Okapis travel alone except to breed, it is hard to locate them in the dense rain forests.

The Okapi Reserve is one of five heritage sites of the UNESCO in the Congo with the center of the reserve being around the village of Epulu which is surrounded by over 8,000 sq miles of rain forest. The video below is one of the best available of an Okapi at the Reserve. Enjoy.