Genetic Study of Congolese Okapi Shows it is a Resilient Species

Genetic analysis of the Congolese Okapi shows that despite living in a war-torn country, this relative of the giraffe is a resilient species.

The number of wild okapis living in Democratic Republic of Congo have almost halved in the past few years. Fragmented habitat along with armed conflict has pushed the species to near-extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) recently included okapi into the endangered species list.

The forests in Democratic Republic of Congo act as the world's second lung by acting as a counterpart of the Amazon. The country is home to other endangered species as well such as the Bonobo and the Congo Peafowl.

Now, researchers at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and colleagues have found that the okapis are "both genetically distinct and diverse". And, "not what you might expect from an endangered animal at low numbers," said chief investigator of the study, Dr David Stanton from the School of Biosciences.

"Higher genetic diversity means that the Okapi are equipped with the necessary genes capable of withstanding changes to their environment. Beyond that they are also more likely to survive to produce offspring bearing their own resilient genetic traits. Consequently, the population will continue for more generations because of the success of these individuals," Stanton said in a news release.

For the study, researchers used feces samples of the animal from rainforests, skin samples from museums and dried skin pieces from villages near okapi habitat.

The okapi population looks genetically healthy now despite the recent decrease in numbers. However, researchers worry that the genetic pool might shrink in the future.

"There is a concern however, that much of this genetic diversity will be lost in the near future, due to rapidly declining populations in the wild making efforts to conserve the species, facilitated by the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group, critical," Stanton added in a news release.

The study was funded by Natural Environment Research Council.