Zoo Foraging Ecology: Preference and Welfare Assessment of Two Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) at the Brookfield Zoo
Applying principles of foraging ecology to zoo-housed animals can positively influence animal behavior, and assist with evaluating exhibit space and design. In this study, we implemented zoo foraging ecology by measuring giving-up densities (GUDs) in food patches to address several welfare-related questions with captive okapi (Okapia johnstoni). Our objectives were to: (1) determine whether food […]
A survey assessment of variables related to stereotypy in captive giraffe and okapi.
Stereotypic behavior has been investigated in a wide variety of animals, but little published information is available on this problem in captive exotic ungulates. A survey was used to gather information on the prevalence of stereotypic behavior in giraffe and okapi and to identify variables associated with these behaviors. Of the 71 institutions that received […]
Okapia johnstoni
Urinary Steroid Evaluations to Monitor Ovarian Function in Exotic Ungulates: I. Pregnanediol-3-GIucuronide lmmunoreactivity in the Okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
Immunoreactive pregnanediol-3-glucuronide was assessed in daily urine samples from five female okapis. Indexed by creatinine (CR), the resultant profiles accurately reflect ovulation and pregnancy in this species. The infertile cycle was approximately 14.5 days by this method with the preovulatory levels averaging less than 1 ng/mg CR (N = 88) for approximately eight days (N […]
Congo’s elusive treasure
A review of The Okapi: Mysterious Animal of Congo-Zaire, by Susan Lyndaker Lindsey, Mary Neel Green, and Cynthia L. Bennett. Austin, University of Texas Press, 1999, 131 pp, $30.00 hardcover, $17.95 paperback.
Fecal progestagen evaluations to monitor the estrous cycle and pregnancy in the okapi (Okapia johnstoni)
The present study was conducted to establish a noninvasive method of reproductive monitoring in the okapi (Okapia johnstoni). Fecal samples were collected three times a week from nonpregnant okapis (n = 3) for periods of 2, 9, and 23 months, respectively, and for 2 months each from pregnant okapis (n = 4) at different stages […]
The Effects of Sex, Climate, and Management on Normal and Repetitive Behaviors in Okapis (Okapi johnstoni)
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A Multi-Institutional Assessment of Factors Influencing Locomotion and Pacing in Captive Okapis (Okapia johnstoni)
The okapi (Okapia johnstoni), native to the Democratic Republic of Congo, is a large, solitary, and diurnal forest-dwelling ungulate highly sensitive to captive conditions. The captive population demonstrates persistent health problems, reproductive abnormalities, and several potentially abnormal repetitive behaviors. This study reports on locomotion and pacing in adult male and female okapis. Commonly, data on […]