Mbuti Pygmies Assist with Monitoring Okapi

During the most recent trip to Epulu, John Lukas spoke about the importance of involving the Mbuti pygmies in monitoring activities around the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. The Mbuti have a special relationship with okapi and have a very important role to play in the protection, management and understanding of the Reserve ecosystem. One item in particular we are excited to explore is when wild okapi calves leave their mother. Typically, okapi calves in human care are separated around 10 months of age based on behaviors exhibited between mother and calf, but it is not known when they separate from their mother in the wild.

We are excited to see the Mbuti take the initiative on this project and after we introduced them to the idea, they almost immediately discovered a mother and calf pair just four kilometers from Epulu!  To read more click here.