How did the giraffe get its long neck? Clues now revealed by new genome sequencing

Date: May 17, 2016

Source: Penn State

For the first time, the genomes of the giraffe and its closest living relative, the reclusive okapi of the African rainforest, have been sequenced -- revealing the first clues about the genetic changes that led to the evolution of the giraffe's exceptionally long neck and its record-holding ranking as the world's tallest land species. The research will be published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on May 17, 2016.

"The giraffe's stature, dominated by its long neck and legs and an overall height that can reach 19 feet (~ 6 m), is an extraordinary feat of evolution that has inspired awe and wonder for at least 8,000 years -- as far back as the famous rock carvings at Dabous in the Republic of Niger," said Douglas Cavener of Penn State University, who led the research team with Morris Agaba of the Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science and Technology in Tanzania.

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Forest giraffe joins growing number of threatened species

November 2013: The okapi, also known as the forest giraffe, and the national symbol of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is now on the brink of extinction the IUCN has declared in its latest red list update. 

The Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is a close relative of the giraffe and unique to the rainforests of the DRC. It has been listed by the IUCN as Endangered, only one step away from the highest risk of extinction, Critically Endangered, with numbers dwindling across its range. Poaching and habitat loss, as well as the presence of rebels, elephant poachers and illegal miners, are the principal threats to its survival. 

“The Okapi is revered in Congo as a national symbol – it even features on the Congolese franc banknotes,” says Dr Noëlle Kümpel co-chair of the IUCN SSC Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group and manager of ZSL’s range-wide okapi conservation project. “Sadly, DRC has been caught up in civil conflict and ravaged by poverty for nearly two decades, leading to widespread degradation of Okapi habitat and hunting for its meat and skin. Supporting government efforts to tackle the civil conflict and extreme poverty in the region are critical to securing its survival.” 

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Nature Studies: Animals are also victims of war - and in Congo, that means the beautiful okapi

MICHAEL MCCARTHY

Tuesday 26 November 2013

For ages, it was just a myth; soon, it may be just a memory. The okapi, the "forest giraffe" from the Congo - that gentle, fascinating beast known to Western science only since 1901 - is now threatened with extinction. War, illegal hunting and habitat destruction are going to do for it.

How quickly it all seems to be going, does it not? This mammal and that bird, this turtle and that frog…so many of them sliding down the slope to oblivion, all around the world, as revealed today in the latest annual update of the Red List of threatened species, compiled by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Read on

Okapi killers captured by Congo army

Rare Okapi Killed in the Attack
September 2012. U.N. Radio says Congo's army has captured a militia leader and 16 of his combatants accused of killing okapis in the country's northeast.

Rangers and 15 okapi killed
The station said that Paul Sadala, whose alias is Morgan, was captured after leading his militia in a June attack on the Okapi Wildlife Reserve that killed two park rangers and 15 okapi.

On June 24, a group of armed rebels attacked the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, situated in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing seven park staff and their family members. Others were taken hostage or are unaccounted for. The entire Reserve infrastructure was destroyed and the 15 okapi of the Epulu Breeding and Research Station were all killed. Epulu plays a central role in protecting the future of the okapi by serving as a reservoir for the infusion of new genetic stock into okapi populations in global conservation programmes.

Important reserve
The Reserve, inscribed on the list of World Heritage in Danger since 1997, is home to about 5,000 okapi, the rare giraffe-like forest creature, as well as significant populations of leopard, elephant, chimpanzee and crocodile. Its bird life makes it one of the most important sites for bird conservation in mainland Africa, and nomadic Mbuti pygmies live within the Reserve.

The future activities of the Okapi Conservation Project will be in accordance with the security situation in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. At this point the OCP is focused on helping people displaced by the turmoil, supporting The Congolese Wildlife Authority's anti-poaching efforts, assisting communities around the Reserve and cleaning up the Station.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/okapi-militia.html#cr

Militia kill staff and Okapi at Wildlife Reserve

Okapi all killedJuly 2012. Further reports from DRC reveal just how bad the raid by the Simba rebels (Mai Mai militia) in June was. When they attacked the Institute in Congo for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve near the village of Epulu in the north-eastern area of the Democratic Republic of Congo, it appears that they killed 6 people, including 2 rangers and the wife of a ranger, as well as 14 okapi that were kept at the headquarters.

Grave concerns for 100 staffCongolese Army and UN Troops continue to pursue the Mai Mai Simba rebels, led by 'Morgan', but they have to be cautious as more than 30 hostages were taken from Epulu to transport stolen goods through the forest. Last reports indicate that the rebels had crossed the Ituri River on the southern border of the Reserve and were heading west. ICCN Conservator Somba is in Epulu now coordinating the ICCN salvage operation and making assessment of rebuilding needs. Several guards from remote patrol posts have gone to Epulu to help restore order and clean up.

Revenge attack
It has been verified that the attack led by Morgan was an act of revenge against ICCN for targeting his elephant poachers and illegal gold miners operating in the Reserve. The continent-wide war on elephants, driven by escalating prices for ivory, provided Morgan with the funds to buy weapons and mount his attack on Epulu. ICCN leadership and partner organizations are encouraging Congolese Army officers and U.N. leaders to continue to pursue and apprehend the rebels. 

The Okapi is the flagship species for one of the most biologically diverse spots on Earth--the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri Rainforest. Today, there are approximately only 10,000 - 20,000 okapi in the wild.

To make a donation to help the local people, rebuild the conservation station and provide assistance to the ICCN to continue to protect the wildlife of the Ituri Forest, please click here.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/okapi-reserve-congo.html

Militia attack Okapi Wildlife Reserve & kill guards

Okapi in danger
June 2012. Early in the morning on June 24th, Simba rebels (Mai Mai militia) attacked the Institute in Congo for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve near the village of Epulu in the north-eastern area of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

5 guards killed
According to the Okapi Conservation Project, at least five guards were killed, and destruction of buildings and looting has occurred. Fighting his way past the rebels, the reserve's Conservator Gishlain Somba escaped and walked through the night to Mambassa, where he is coordinating with the Congolese Army (FARDC) being deployed to the area, along with top rangers from Virunga National Park.

Grave concerns for 100 staff
"We are gravely concerned about the fate of our 100 staff members and the 14 okapi at the breeding and research station," said John Lukas, Founder of the Okapi Conservation Project. "As soon as the area is safe, we will go and provide whatever help we can."

The Okapi is the flagship species for one of the most biologically diverse spots on Earth--the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri Rainforest. Today, there are approximately only 10,000 - 20,000 okapi in the wild.

To make a donation to help the local people, rebuild the conservation station and provide assistance to the ICCN to continue to protect the wildlife of the Ituri Forest, please click here.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/okapi-reserve.html