Okapi - any game ranches have them?

[Shane]

These are cool-looking animals. Sounds like they need to export some to Texas in order to preserve them from extinction by poaching.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080910...animalwildlife

[Aggie PhD]

They are fairly rare in zoos, so I seriously doubt anyone has them on their ranch. It was a pretty big deal when they got a pair at the Omaha zoo when I worked there.

[Shane]

It would be cool if some of them could be stocked and bred - no hunting them for a few years, of course. Don't know how many ranches would want to go the expense of that without hunting revenue for a while, but it would be cool.

[Miller]

That's my wife and 2 year olds favorite animal. I have more Okapi stuffed animals around my house than deer heards. They have one or two in San Antonio. Very cool creature. Like part giraffe, part zebra, and part antelope. I wish they would bring some to Texas.

[Dr. Evil]

What do they taste like? Chicken?

[Aggie PhD]

That's my wife and 2 year olds favorite animal. I have more Okapi stuffed animals around my house than deer heards. They have one or two in San Antonio. Very cool creature. Like part giraffe, part zebra, and part antelope. I wish they would bring some to Texas.

Technically they are a giraffe. Same family, different genus. The Okapi is considered the forest giraffe.
With their low level of reproduction compared to antelope species, don't count on any one getting their hands on them to release and shoot. If I recall correctly every individual (okapi)in the U.S. is part of a "species survival program" and all matings are controlled. With that, all of the Okapi are housed at certified institutions, and the individuals are not "surplused" to general buyers.

They definitely are cool animals, but shooting one is like shooting a giraffe. Not very hard. I've darted over 200 giraffes with an air rifle in the wild. Wouldn't be hard to shoot one.

[Miller]

I just wish we had them to look at. Couldn't imagine shooting one. Just too unique of animal for me fling an arrow at. Not a huge fan of the San Antonio zoo but well worth going to see the Okapi, at least for my son and wife it is.

[Chad C]

I seriously doubt it, the only ranches that may have them would be un- hunted like fossil rim in Glen Rose, but I don’t think they have any! If I were to guess at a hunted ranch that would even attempt to have them it would be the 777 in Hondo, but they don’t have them either! Really cool animal!

[skeeter]

What do they taste like?

frog legs!

[Encinal]

Cool Cool animals.... They really are not very good candidates for game ranches because they have a low reproductive rate and live in small groups...

[crook]

that's a silly looking lil' animal! i'm Brian Fellows!

[Full curl]

They have a couple at the Houston Zoo.

[Texastaxi]

frog legs!

... which taste like chicken!

They can't be THAT rare ... the rinky dink Houston zoo has some.