The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is a World Heritage Site in the Ituri Forest in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, near the borders with Sudan and Uganda. At a size of approximately 34,000 km², it covers approximately one fifth of the area of the forest. Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... The Ituri Rainforest is located in the Ituri region of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...

As implied by the name, the reserve is home to many okapis. As of 1996, the number was estimated at about 3900–6350, out of a global population of around 10,000–20,000. It is also the location of the Epulu Conservation and Research Center, on the Epulu River. This facility dates back to 1928 when the camp was founded by American anthropologist Patrick Putnam as a capture station, where wild okapis were captured and sent to American and European zoos. It still serves that function today, albeit with very different methodology. Okapis are captured, and then bred in captivity, and then only these offspring are sent to zoos, as it has been found that they have a much higher chance of survival. Even so, very few are now exported — only the minimum number necessary to ensure genetic viability of the captive population. The center also carries out much important research and conservation work. Binomial name Okapia johnstoni (P.L. Sclater, 1901) The Okapi (Okapia johnstoni) is one of the two remaining species of family Giraffidae, the second being the Giraffe. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1928 was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... See Anthropology. ... A zoo. ... To be genetically viable, having a realistic chance of avoiding the problems of inbreeding, a population of animals requires a certain amount of genetic diversity, and consequently a certain minimum number of members. ...

In addition to the okapis, the wildlife reserve is also home to many other interesting or endangered animals, such as the forest elephant, and at least 13 species of diurnal anthropoid primates. Nomadic Mbuti pygmies and indigenous Bantu farmers also live within the reserve. Binomial name Loxodonta cyclotis Matschie, 1900 Until recently, it was thought that the so-called Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) was simply a subspecies of the African Savannah Elephant (Loxodonta africana). ... ... Generally speaking, pygmy (from Greek pygmaios, fist sized, a kind of dwarf in Greek mythology) can refer to any human or animal of unusually small size, for example, the pygmy hippopotamus. ... The word indigenous is derived from the latin word indigena, meaning nativ, indigenous, aboriginal, and has several, related meanings: The native people of a place; see the article indigenous people. ... Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu (dull yellow) vs. ...

The Okapi Wildlife Reserve is on the list of world heritage in danger. The main threats to the reserve are deforestation, primarily caused by slash and burn agriculture, and commercial hunting for the sale of bush meat. Gold mining has also been problematic. While the native Mbuti and Bantu peoples traditionally respect the forest and its wildlife, immigrants into the area do not feel the same connection. Lack of funding due to the political and economic conditions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has also been problematic. It is hoped that eco-tourism to the area can be developed, leading to both increased funding and improved public awareness. Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest. ... Slash and burn agriculture (also known more neutrally as shifting cultivation or swidden-fallow agriculture) is a agricultural system widely used in forested areas. ... Bushmeat (from the French viande de brousse) hunting is common in sub-Saharan Africas dense forests. ... Ecotourism essentially means ecological tourism, where ecological has both environmental and social connotations. ...

References

Susan Lyndaker Lindsey; Mary Neel Green; Cynthia L. Bennett (1999). The Okapi. University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-74707-1