okapi

In Belgium, where my organ-grinder took me five years ago, they had an okapi in a big city they call Antwerp."

He can also help Okapis in the rest of the world populate," she added.

Established in 1925 close by Lake Kivu and the Nyiragongo volcano, Virunga is home to about a quarter of the world's population of critically endangered mountain gorillas, as well as to eastern lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos.

Three times the size of Luxembourg, it is a refuge for mountain gorillas, chimps, okapis, lions, elephants and hippos.

Her birth is significant as the okapis are already endangered species.

The researchers compared giraffe, okapi and cattle genomes to see what sets giraffes and okapis apart from other ungulates.

With only 14 okapis in zoos in the UK, Usala's birth gave an important boost to the breeding programme for the endangered animals from Congo.

In the wild the okapi is only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo where their numbers are in decline due to habitat loss and hunting for their meat - and with only 14 okapis in zoos in the UK, the arrival of Usala is an important boost to the breeding programme for the endangered animals.

Co-author Ronald Douglas, a professor of biology at City University London specializing in the visual system, and co-author Glen Jeffery, a professor of neuroscience at University College London, determined that cats, dogs, rodents, hedgehogs, bats, ferrets and okapis all detect substantial levels of UV.

But what about giraffes, flamingos, and zebra-like okapis from Africa?

Mchawi is the seventh member of the okapi family currently living in Antwerp zoo, which is recognised as a world-wide specialist for okapis and one of the biggest in Europe, helping to preserve the animals' genetic diversity.