by Playfuls Staff |
9th June 2006
The okapi, the closest known relative to the giraffe, has been rediscovered in the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo after almost half a century, said the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said Friday. [more]
The okapi was spotted during a survey by the Switzerland based global conservation organization along with its governmental Congolese partner ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature).
It is the first sign of okapi in the park since August 1959, according to official records.
Still rare and threatened, the okapi only inhabits the tall primary forests of eastern DRC, mainly in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve.
The survey team was studying threatened species such as elephants and chimpanzees when they recorded 17 okapi tracks.
They also noted the presence of the bongo, a rare large forest antelope which has not been recorded in the area for 50 years either.
The Virunga National Park has served as a hideout for different rebel groups over the past 20 years which has prevented ICCN from patrolling the areas.
The difficult terrain has also prevented logging and farming there, which, according to WWF, explains why the rare species has survived unnoticed.
"As the country is returning to peace, it shows that the protected areas in this troubled region are now havens for rare wildlife once more," said Marc Languy, of WWF's Eastern Africa Regional Programme.
The WWF remains concerned, though, by massive human activity within the protected area and calls by local political leaders inviting farmers to farm inside the national park.
© 2006 DPA
