Okapi Calf Learning the Ropes
Posted at 9:52 am April 14, 2006 by Nerissa Foland
Kidomo, our seven-week-old okapi calf in Ituri Forest at the San Diego Zoo is growing by leaps and bounds. While he is still a youngster, his keepers have been using every opportunity to handle him and expose him to many different situations. It is very important to touch Kidomo (pictured here with keeper Jama Kasowicz) a lot while he is young, including picking up his legs and inspecting his hooves. All of this " desensitizing" is important in making him feel comfortable with us in the future, not to mention one of the best parts of any keeper's job!
Lately, Kidomo's keepers have been getting him used to wearing a
halter. He has been so good, the keepers were able to put it on him within a few days. Now, before being let out on exhibit, he wears this halter for a short time almost every day. But this is only one of the many new introductions to this little Kiddo's life. Every morning, on his way to the exhibit with mom, he walks through a hallway that contains a " squeeze" and scale. The squeeze has six doors at different levels on each side of the hallway that open, allowing keepers and veterinarians access to whatever body part of an okapi is of particular interest that day. The floor of the squeeze has a built-in scale for easy weighing. Making this daily trip through the squeeze now will help build Kidomo's confidence in it in the future and will help us take good care of him.
In addition to acclimating him to his environment, keepers are slowly
introducing him to his herd. Starting very soon, Kidomo will be on exhibit
with mom, Kelle, and the other two okapis: Safarani and Biscotti. His keepers just recently put up a fence to divide the yard so Kidomo can be introduced safely. This is an exciting time in Kiddo's life; be sure to visit him soon while he gets to know the other members of Ituri Forest.
Nerissa Foland is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Read a previous blog about Kidomo's debut.
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April 14th, 2006 at 10:54 am
Thanks for the informative update! There are so many beautiful babies at the zoo, I can't keep track of them. Tomorrow I have to visit panda Su Lin, the tiger twins, the " little" giraffe, the tapir Chukai, the warty pigs, and of course Kiddo! Plus, I have to check out the special presentations on animal enrichment. Whew!
April 19th, 2006 at 11:26 am
Kidomo is adorable. I can hardly wait to see him. Thank you for this update.
April 19th, 2006 at 2:54 pm
Got to see Kidomo on my monthly sunrise stroll and he is certainly a little cutie. I haven't seen him out in the enclosure yet, but I am looking forward to see him out one day soon and watching him grow.
Thanks for all the information on my walk and on the blog, and keeping us informed about his progress.
April 19th, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Kiddo, I stopped by to see you on Sat. but couldn't find you. I did see Safrani & Biscotti. Your mother Kelle was behind the protective fence that will keep you safe while you expand your horizons. See you next month!