Zoo foraging ecology: Preference and welfare assessment of two okapi (Okapia johnstoni) at the Brookfield Zoo.

Urinary corticosteroid excretion patterns in the okapi (Okapia johnstoni).

Stress is known to alter a variety of biological processes, including behavior and reproduction. It is therefore important to understand the stress levels of animals in captivity, especially those for whom captive breeding is a priority, such as the okapi. Levels of stress hormones can be measured from samples collected noninvasively, such as urine or feces, which are preferable with nondomesti...

Enhancing knowledge of the ecology of a highly elusive species, the okapi (Okapia johnstoni), using non-invasive genetic techniques

Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) are an even-toed ungulate in the family Giraffidae, and are endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Very little is known about okapi ecology in the wild. We used non-invasive genetic methods to examine the social structure, mating system and dispersal for a population of okapi in the Réserve de Faune à Okapis, DRC. Okapi individuals appear to be solitary, alt...

Zoo animal welfare.

The history of zoo animal welfare legislation extends back to 1876, and is often tied to general animal welfare regulations. As knowledge and societal values have changed, so have the focus of zoos and the regulations governing them. Today, the issues involved in zoo animal welfare are complex and broad-based. Building on the basic welfare tenets of adequate feed, water, shelter, sanitation and...

The Effect of Zoo Visitors on the Behaviour and Welfare of Zoo Mammals

The allocation of a ruminant feeding type to the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) on the basis of morphological parameters

As the anatomy of the digestive tract of the okapi (Okapia johnstoni) has not been described in relation to the ruminant feeding type classification to date, we here report anatomical measurements on a complete digestive tract of an okapi euthanised in captivity and measurements of its ingesta particle size and forestomach protozoa species, supplemented with other information on two okapi fores...