2012-018-M-0162
Okapia johnstoni. Okapi’s / Okapis / Okapis. Mondonga. 2012-018-M-0225, 2012-018-M-0162, 2012-018-M-0224.
A living symbol of the colony
These three okapis have different backgrounds. The pair of adults originate from the Groupe de Capture des Okapis (Group for the capture of okapis) reserve in Epulu, 500 km north of Stanleyville, present-day Kisangani). They were caught during a 1956 mission led by Max Poll, curator of the Museum’s vertebrate department. The two okapis were selected for exhibition at the Brussels World’s Fair (1958) before entering the museum. The third okapi, a cub that accompanies the pair, could be a young female tracked down in the forests of the Ibina area in 1902 by Lieutenant Anzélius.
Today, the Museum of Tervuren holds one of the largest collections of okapis, a species that was not identified by Western scientists until the early 20th century. The okapi became the object of rival international interests during the period of the Congo Free State, before becoming an important symbol of the former Belgian colony.
The target of a real European quest
Between 1902 and 1908, the Museum of Tervuren acquired no less than 37 specimens, including this okapi cub. In 1919, the first living okapi was brought to Belgium as a gift for the Antwerp Zoo. After surviving for only six weeks, its remains were included in the Museum of Tervuren’s collections. Many living okapis were shipped to zoos in Europe, where they not only had a research function, but also – and especially – a diplomatic function. Their lives were generally short; the animals sometimes did not survive the journey.
Although it is one of the last large mammals to be scientifically described by Westerners, the populations of today’s DR Congo, in particular the Achua, have long known of the existence of the okapi, which is called o’api (in the Mvuba language). They knew where this shy animal lived and how to catch it. This knowledge and skills were used by the Belgians during the colonial period.