14 DAY TRIAL // Several weeks ago, on August 14, a healthy and active female baby Okapi was born at Dallas Zoo in Texas, US. Keepers say the calf is growing stronger every day, and that it presently tips the scale at 190 pounds (86 kilograms).
Given the fact that it weighed merely 47 pounds (21 kilograms) at delivery, there is little denying that it has grown up a lot.
Needless to say, the fact that its mother is doing a great job looking after it also has a say in the matter.
Zoo Borns tells us that, as big as the Okapi calf might seem, it still has a lot of work to do if it is to look anything like its parents. Thus, when fully grown up, the calf will probably measure over 5 feet (1.5 meters) in height, and weigh at least 700 pounds (317 kilograms).
The calf has been named Almasi, which is Swahili for “diamond.”
According to the same source, it was only last week when the Okapi calf made its public debut, and zoo visitors were delighted to be among the first to see it.
Commenting on the calf's birth, zoo employee Lynn Krammer said that, “Almasi’s birth is another major success in efforts to ensure that this incredible animal species survives.”
“The Dallas Zoo has a long history of caring for and learning about Okapi, and we will continue to be a leader in the fight to educate the world to protect these animals,” Lynn added.