Spanish
Chinese
German
French
Italian
Portuguese
Dutch
Greek
Japanese
Korean
RussianOkapi Calf Makes His Debut
Posted at 4:33 pm March 30, 2006 by Bridget Mulholland
Kidomo, our month-old okapi calf, went out to the exhibit in the San Diego Zoo’s Ituri Forest for the first time with his dam, Kelle, on March 25. He immediately started exploring the large space, and every once in a while he would get so excited that he would start kicking with his hind legs and then run around like crazy! All the while, Kelle was busy nibbling on fresh browse that the keepers hung throughout the exhibit.
Kidomo’s keepers have been working very closely with him ever since his birth on February 22. They have been getting him used to walking through the chute in the okapi barn, which is where medical procedures can be done without using any anesthesia. For example, Kelle had an ultrasound done in the chute so that the veterinarians and keepers could see how Kidomo was doing before he was born! There is also a scale set up in the chute to take monthly weights on all of the okapis. Kidomo’s most recent weight was 108 pounds (49 kilograms). What a big boy he has become!
If weather permits, Kidomo will be spending time out on exhibit from noon until 2 p.m. daily. Be sure to stop by and see our youngster frolic around his new home!
Bridget Mulholland is a senior mammal keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Read about Kidomo’s birth in Bridget’s blog: An Okapi is Born!
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.
March 30th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
What a cutie! I am sure he will be getting many visitors; few people can resist a look at a baby animal.
March 31st, 2006 at 7:27 am
Soooooo cute!!
March 31st, 2006 at 7:58 am
What a cutie. In that picture, it looks like mom and baby found some old leg warmers left over from the 80s and are ready for their jazzercize class
) Thanks for the update and picture, Bridget.
Oh, by the way, is there an update on “Harry” the California Condor? Has he been released yet? Thanks again.
March 31st, 2006 at 8:54 am
Another great excuse for visiting the Zoo! I’ll be there in April to see Kidomo, Su Lin, Chukai the tapir and the other animal babies.
March 31st, 2006 at 1:50 pm
Darn! We were there on Saturday but missed Kidomo…..wrong time. Okapi are my favorite.
March 31st, 2006 at 1:53 pm
He’s sooo cute!
March 31st, 2006 at 3:23 pm
So disappointing! I visited the zoo yesterday but stopped by the exhibit before noon. I was particularly looking for this handsome boy. What a beautiful description of his boundless joy and frolicking behavior.
March 31st, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Thanks for the lovely picture and update, Bridget. I didn’t get to see Kidomo today (left too early), but did get a good look at Hodari, the 4-month-old giraffe, and it’s clear that the two are related species. He was running around and kicking up his heels just as you described Kidomo doing. And that long purple tongue clinches it!
April 7th, 2006 at 3:58 pm
My husband and I were one of the fortunate ones to be going by when Kidomo made his debut. It was a very special moment for us and others around us. We were able to take some great pictures of him. Kidomo didn’t seem very shy around his audience. He seemed all ready very independent, which kept the keeper busy keeping him out of trouble. We even witnessed Kidomo meeting one of his neighbors, the hippo. It was nice to see the caring interaction between the keeper and both the Okapi. You could tell he was very attached to these animals and took his job very seriously. Even though we live in Minnesota we have been proud members of your zoo for over five years. We truly support your phenomenal job that you are doing with all the species around the world.
November 1st, 2006 at 8:13 am
omg i love okapi lol
!!!!!
December 17th, 2006 at 6:31 pm
love okapi ……PLEASE!!!PLEASE!!!! more videos, and stills