Dublin Zoo has announced the birth of an endangered male okapi calf.
The calf was born on July 7 to parents Lumara, seven, and Kitabu, 14.
Now one month old the calf is said to be in excellent health and has been growing steadily.
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He is the second okapi to be born in Ireland.
The first, a female sister named Dalia was also born at Dublin Zoo in October 2019.
Lumara has once again been showing excellent maternal instincts, the zoo said, while Kitabu has also been displaying great interest in the newborn’s development.
Okapis are a large, hoofed animal related to the giraffe.
They have a red-brown coat with distinctive black and white stripes on their back legs.
Similar to giraffes, okapis have long, dark tongues and are herbivores.
They also eat clay and charcoal from burnt trees to help neutralise toxins in plants and gain minerals.
A competition is now being held by Dublin Zoo to give visitors the chance to name the new calf, with the winner selected by Dublin Zoo keepers to win a family day pass.
There is juts one rule to follow. Names must be of African origin.
Members of the public can enter at dublinzoo.ie/competition, and the winner will be announced on Dublin Zoo’s social media channels when the competition closes on September 9.
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