Sever, Zvi (2018). Survey and Recommendation: Reintroducing the Okapi to Uganda. The Zoological Society of Israel, 55th Conference, Abstracts, p.10

1. The zoological society of Israel, 2018, 55th
Conference, Abstracts, p10.
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Survey and Recommendation: Reintroducing the Okapi to Uganda
Zvi Sever
Department of Biology, University of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
sever.zvi@gmail.com
In order to gather data about the possible presence of Okapis (Okapia jhonstoni) in the
Semuliki national park in Uganda (situated between the Ituri and the Virunga forests in
the Congo, DRC), this lowland tropical rain forest was surveyed using various
methods. These consisted of the following: literature review, conversations with a
researcher from the 1970s, meetings with the Pygmy tribe (who have been removed
from the reserve), forest patrols (on foot), searching for dung, and the installation of
four 'capture cameras' at two inaccessible sites. These cameras were placed at a
distance of about 200 meters, and ran continuously for three days in September 2015
and nine days in April 2017. Two sites in the 2017 survey also had bait on the ground
and the trees near the cameras.
According to the literature, it cannot be ruled out that the first sighting of an Okapi that
was described for the scientific world in 1901 occurred in the Semuliki Reserve in
Uganda. Findings suggest that some of the first specimens that were caught in nature
and transported to Europe came from the territory of what is today known as Uganda.
According to researchers, in 1953, Okapi were hunted in the reserve, and in the sixties,
Okapis were still observed and Europeans hunted there. A 2009 survey found that they
were passing from Virunga in Congo via Lamia river to the Semuliki N.P. The
pygmies, hunter-gatherers, claim that they and their forefathers encountered Okapis on
their journeys in the Semuliki Reserve, and occasionally made “fall traps” to hunt them
and acquire their tasty meat. They remember the arrival of the white men, whose goal
was to capture Okapis for zoos in Europe. During the patrols, dung that could be
clearly identified as belonging to Okapis was not found. The cameras documented a
sitatunga, the impressive swamp-dwelling antelope, a duiker, and a tree squirrel, but no
Okapis.
With additional foot patrols and cameras placed in different locations, it seems
probable that there are other areas where there is a chance of capturing Okapi images
by means of photography. Therefore, it is recommended to continue in this direction,
especially during the months when the Semuliki and Lamia rivers are shallow. In that
time of year, chimpanzees enter the reserve from the Congo, and it is reasonable to
assume that Okapi also come along with them.
Thus, based on the findings of the survey, I strongly recommend that the Uganda
introducingrea national project aimed atpromoteshould(UWA)AuthorityWildlife
the Okapi to Uganda.