VIDEO - A rare Okapi is born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

Oct 19, 2018 in "Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge"

Posted: Friday October 19, 2018 12:44pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is celebrating the birth of a rare okapi, with numbers of only 20,000 in the world.

The calf was born on October 1 to mom Zelda and dad Mandazi - both chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan, overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Weighing in at 54 pounds, animal care experts report that the calf was up and mobile within the first hour of his birth. He has been nursing and bonding with his mom. The pair will remain in a backstage habitat for the next few months before joining the animals on the savanna.

The calf’s parents – mom Zelda and dad Mandazi – were chosen to breed through the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and ensures responsible breeding of threatened and endangered species.

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MisterPenguinOct 20, 2018

Wow, that is rare. I don't even have one... at least, not yet... Pikachu! I chose you!! Pika! Pika!

Nemo14Oct 20, 2018

I blame the Democrats...

jt04Oct 20, 2018

My new favorite animal. Plus it is fun to say.

DisneyJayLOct 20, 2018

This is awesome. In the app every time I try to click on this article the app crashes. 🤔

GeneralKnowledgeOct 20, 2018

If that’s the Okapi then where is the Original?

I am TimmyOct 20, 2018

My favorite news - when a new animal baby is born At Disney! Always brings a smile to my face, and reminds of the good that Disney does. Thanks for the news on the newest sweet baby!!

DunstonOct 20, 2018

Finally, some news people won't get mad at.

HauntedMansionFLAOct 20, 2018

Okapi’s are my favorite at DAK:)

Goofyque'Oct 20, 2018

Super news!! Love his giant baby okapi ears!

Princess LeiaOct 19, 2018

I absolutely love okapi, so this is super exciting for me 😍

wannabeBelleOct 19, 2018

This is just so awesome!!! What a beautiful baby!!! Marie

flyerjabOct 19, 2018

Was on Twitter today and unfortunately saw video of idiots shooting and killing an elephant in Africa. Then I see something like this and think how great this is...and that it happened at a Disney resort. We can debate and discuss our first world problems on this site as much as we want. And I don’t care if they add 10 more Pandora-like attractions to DAK as long as these types of events continue to happen in my most favorite of WDW parks. This is something so true to the core of what Joe Rohde and the team that created DAK were aiming for. Just incredible news! Way to go Disney!

NottamusOct 19, 2018

Awesome.