Animals - Aquariums - Archeology - Insects - Fossils - Zoos
Aug. 08, 1980 - At just a day old, a male okapi named Afmadu becomes acquainted with Keeper Dan Hoyer at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. The young okapi, the first ever born at the over 1, 800-acre wild life preserve operated by the Zoological Society of San Diego, arrived Sunday (July 27), and is being hand-raised by keepers since his mother rejected him. Okapis are the only living relative of giraffes, but resemble their long-necked cousins only in their facial structure. They are covered with short, sleek purplish or deep red hair with distinctively marked limbs of black and white stripes. Okapis have such long tongues that they can even wash or clean their eyes with them. Visitors to the wild Animals Park may see Afmadu's parents by riding the Wgasa Bush Line monorail which passes the okapis habitat on its five-mile route through the preserve
