HOUSTON – Miráq, a one-month-old okapi, made his public debut at the Houston Zoo on Tuesday.
Miráq was born on Nov. 6, weighing 40 pounds, and has more than doubled his birth weight under his mother Tulia's care. The mother and calf spent the last month bonding behind-the-scenes.
Miráq eagerly explored his yard with his mother protectively by his side during his first outing into the public viewing space at the zoo's West Hoofed Run. The pair will alternate time in the public yard with the zoo's other three okapi. The calf is the first baby successfully born and raised by Tulia, 10 years old, and sired by Kwame, 15.
Okapi are solitary animals, also known as the "forest giraffe," and are native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Since 2013, the species has been classified as endangered by habitat destruction and poaching.
In 2012 the Houston Zoo received breaking news of a terrible rebel attack on the Okapi Conservation Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This devastating crisis left six wildlife guards and 14 okapi stationed at the reserve dead.
The Houston Zoo was one of the first to respond and quickly organized a zoo-wide effort to provide as much support as possible.