Rainforest Wild Adventure welcomes first okapi born in South-east Asia
SINGAPORE – Rainforest Wild Adventure on July 27 welcomed the arrival of an okapi calf, the first to be born in Southeast Asia.
Mandai Wildlife Group said on Sept 24 that the male calf, born to first-time parents Kisala, 7, and Xandor, 4, currently weighs 48 kg - more than double its birth weight.
It is housed with its mother in the Hidden Forest at Rainforest Wild Adventure East.
“We recently gave them access to their outdoor habitat, but the calf is still taking time to get used to his new surroundings,” said Cecilia Tang, a curator at Mandai’s Animal Care department.
“We’re allowing him to explore and build confidence at his own pace, so it may take some time before visitors see more of him.”
The calf spends most of its time in the calving box.
PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
As the calf may retreat to the off-exhibit den, a “baby monitor” providing a live feed is available for visitors wanting to catch a glimpse.
Those who wish to learn more about the species can also join the daily Okapi Ranger talk at the park, held at 10.30am and 3pm.
The okapi, a highly elusive species closely related to giraffes, is native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
They are classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, and are cared for by only a handful of zoos worldwide.
According to Mandai, the calf’s parents first came to Singapore under the EAZA Ex situ Programme (EEP), a coordinated breeding programme for threatened species.
“After Kisala was paired with Xandor, we observed changes in her appetite and body condition and began preparing for the possibility of a pregnancy,” said Tang.
“An ultrasound in July confirmed she was expecting a calf, which was an exciting milestone for the team.”
Okapis have one of the longest gestation periods among hoofed mammals, lasting around 440 days or 14 to 15 months.
Calves naturally spend most of their early days hidden and still to avoid being detected by predators, with mothers returning only a few times a day to nurse.
Mandai has invited members of the public help name the calf by voting on its social media pages.
They can choose from three names, inspired by African languages: Imara, meaning strong in Swahili; Mayaka, meaning pearl in Lingala; and Kiah, meaning dawn, new beginnings, or start of the season in Swahili.
Guests can take an okapi souvenir home from the retail shop at Rainforest Wild Adventure East.
PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
To celebrate the calf’s birth, okapi-themed offerings will be available across the Mandai precinct.
This includes an okapi-inspired cake, which will be available from October at selected dining outlets, and okapi souvenirs at the retail shop at Rainforest Wild Adventure East.
The sitatungas can be found in Rainforest Wild Adventure East.
PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
The red-bellied lemur can be expected at Lemur Land from November 2026.
PHOTO: MANDAI WILDLIFE GROUP
Aside from the okapi calf, Mandai also welcomed the sitatunga, a swamp-dwelling antelope, at Rainforest Wild Adventure.
Additionally, the park’s Lemur Land will progressively welcome more species, with the crowned lemur and red-bellied lemur expected to debut by November 2026.
Together, they will bring the total number of lemur species in the Madagascan-themed rainforest to four.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.