14 DAY TRIAL // Leatherback turtles might have switched from being an endangered species to being merely a vulnerable one, but the okapi, otherwise known as the forest giraffe, is not exactly walking on sunshine.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has decided to take these animals off the threatened species list, and move them on the endangered one instead.
According to Mongabay, the okapi only inhabits the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri Rainforest.
Its natural habitat has largely been destroyed by logging. Hunting has also contributed to a noteworthy decline in the overall headcount for this species.
Ironically enough, this happened despite the fact that the animals are central to the country's culture.
“The Okapi is revered in Congo as a national symbol—it even features on the Congolese franc banknotes,” explains Noëlle Kümpel with the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“Sadly, DRC [Democratic Republic of Congo] has been caught up in civil conflict and ravaged by poverty for nearly two decades, leading to widespread degradation of okapi habitat and hunting for its meat and skin. Supporting government efforts to tackle the civil conflict and extreme poverty in the region are critical to securing its survival,” the conservationist adds.
The scientific community became aware of this species' existence back in 1901. At that time, many believed it to be related either to donkeys, or to zebras.
However, investigations carried out later on revealed that the okapi is actually the giraffe's only living relative.