This baby was recently born at the Denver Zoo — she’s an Okapi named Kalispell. (Collective “awww.”) Not only is she absolutely adoro, she’s a mix of two unlikely species. Learn all about this rare animal .Originally a cross between zebras and giraffes, the Okapi (oh-COP-ee) was only known by natives of the Ituri Forest until officially “discovered” by scientists about 100 years ago in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It’s actually the only living relative of the giraffe.Those spindly legs and over sized ears remind me of a giraffe where those stripes have zebra written all over them! It’s not known how many exist in the wild (probably about 25,000 in the wild), but there are only 89 currently alive in captivity.
She’s currently gaining strength and stability with those spindly legs indoors. In the wild, they are browsers, eating 40 to 65 pounds of leaves, twigs, and fruits each day but, in captivity, usually dine on alfalfa hay, leafy acacia branches, and healthy veggies. Zookeepers are carefully monitoring Kalispell’s progress as she becomes more self-sufficient and predict her public zoo debut soon!