Good news for animal lovers in Las Vegas: a very rare forest giraffe has a new home in the city. An okapi has arrived at the DISCOVERY Children’s Museum as the star of Okapi Forest, a new habitat in the museum’s Eco City gallery, under the long-term care of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum as part of a conservation breeding program accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Okapis are so shy and elusive that scientists only documented them in 1901, even though their striped legs and deep chocolate coats make them unforgettable once you see one. They come from the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the newcomer is already exploring the trees, rocks and national flower of its new habitat. Every visit is designed so children can connect the animal in front of them with the rainforest it represents.
The habitat is also a call to action: the museum explains that okapis are threatened by illegal mining and that coltan from our devices reaches their forests, inviting families to recycle electronics and bring phones to the museum’s recycling station. DISCOVERY Children’s Museum is at 360 Promenade Place in Symphony Park, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. A close encounter with one of the world’s rarest animals, right in downtown Las Vegas.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
