The Cincinnati Zoo population has grown by one. A baby okapi was born Sunday morning. The zoo says this is the fourth calf for mother "Kuvua," and both appear to be doing well.
"She's being attentive to the little one's every need," Renee Carpenter, senior keeper at the Cincinnati Zoo, says in a release. "The calf is strong and looks healthy. It's also super soft and fuzzy."
PHOTOS: The Cincinnati Zoo's quarantine baby boom
Okapis are related to giraffes, but have much shorter necks. Their natural range is in the northeastern quadrant of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kuvua and the yet-unnamed calf will be allowed to bond for a few days before zoo staff give the new arrival an exam. Together they'll go into the okapi yard in the spring of 2024.
It's the 18th okapi birth at the Cincinnati Zoo since 1989. There are only an estimated 15,000 okapis in the world.
