In May, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s 12-year-old okapi, Bahati [buh-HAH-tee], got a new home – and a new roommate – in CMZoo’s tapir yard.
Seeing Bahati in a new and prominent location in the Zoo, visitors have better-than-ever visibility of the rare and mystical creature, who often prompts the question – “Did they breed a zebra and a horse?”
With his black-and-white striped legs and velvety dark brown coat, it’s easy to see why people might ask that. But, Bahati is an okapi, a species all its own, known to be native to only one place in the world: rainforests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Africa.
“I wonder if our guests know how rare it is to see an okapi,” Rick Hester, CMZoo’s director of animal care and wellbeing, says. “I have met wild okapi researchers and conservationists who have dedicated their lives to this animal, and have never seen one in person. We’re lucky Bahati lives here.”
Because he was born and raised in human care, Bahati’s behaviors are quite different from his wild counterparts. He’s eager to approach his keepers and guests, and he’s always been inquisitive about his former neighbors, the giraffe herd and vultures.
Bahati has a reputation for being curious about giraffe calves, and he would often stretch his neck over his rock barrier to sniff a new calf, so he has a history of being calm and confident around other animals.
“We can’t say ‘all’ okapis would do well sharing space with another animal, but we think Bahati, as an individual, will do well with Mochi, our mild-mannered mountain tapir,” Rick says
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For his first day in the tapir yard, Bahati got the entire space. His care team wanted him to explore, make his mark and have maximum space to settle in. He did incredibly well, and his team set him up for success by planting a new willow tree and hanging lots of tree branches throughout the yard, which kept him engaged throughout the day.
By the end of the day, Bahati had explored nearly everything to his heart’s content. But, one new sound and smell particularly caught his curiosity. Bahati wanted to see Mochi.
Mochi, CMZoo’s mountain tapir, is one of only three mountain tapirs in the U.S. The other two live at LA Zoo, where Mochi lived before moving back to CMZoo in 2023. They’re native to mountainous regions in Ecuador, Peru and Columbia. Mochi also prompts a question from unfamiliar onlookers. “Is that a cross between a bear and an anteater?”
Mountain tapirs have wooly black coats, hooved toes, the body shape of a large boar and long and extremely dexterous snouts. Mochi, who was also raised in human care, is extremely outgoing. He is one of the few animals of his size (around 370 pounds) at the Zoo that are safe to share space with. When staff share space with Mochi, he usually approaches them for scratches, which they happily deliver. Scratch Mochi just right and he gets so relaxed that he usually topples over onto his side, providing the best belly-rub angles.
Okapis and mountain tapirs are not typically found in groups in the wild, and these two individuals have had their own spaces for many years. There are separate doors leading to separate dens behind the tapir yard. On Bahati’s first day in the tapir yard, Mochi was in his den and Bahati had access to the full yard and his den – separated by a den between the two boys.
At the end of the first day, Bahati’s care team says Bahati stood in the den with his ears straight forward, making little ‘chuffs’ towards Mochi. His care team hadn’t heard Bahati vocalize before, and based on the rest of his behavior, he seemed comfortable and eager to see what he was hearing and smelling. Mochi was making vocalizations, which sounded like little chirps, in Bahati’s direction, and standing at the end of his den closest to Bahati, too.
“Seeing how comfortable and curious they were with each other’s presence, we decided to accelerate their timeline, and let Mochi into the den next to Bahati,” Rick says. “Mochi reached his long snout farther than I’ve ever seen, and the two touched noses through the metal fence in between them. They seemed calm, and overall curious.”
Their nose-touch greetings continued through the night, and the two slept as next-door neighbors – all signs of comfortable behavior. The next day, the team constructed a temporary fence to split the yard, so both animals could go outside and inside as they chose. Mochi, who is about four feet shorter than Bahati, has been seen climbing up onto a rock near the fence to get closer to Bahati’s eye level. The two continue to smell each other and touch noses through the fence.
Mochi, ever cool as a cucumber, settled back into his routine rather quickly, checking in with Bahati periodically. Bahati can’t get enough of Mochi, and follows his every move. If Mochi wants to go outside, Bahati goes outside. When Mochi goes into the den, Bahati usually follows into his side of the den.
Mochi might have a good memory, and he may remember having okapis as neighbors when he lived at CMZoo previously, from 2000 to 2014. Or, he may be ultimately confident and curious in his golden years. Mochi is 26 years old, which is considered quite old for a mountain tapir. Cofan and Carlotta, CMZoo’s two previous mountain tapirs, lived to be 19 and 26, respectively.
Bahati’s care team and Zoo leadership considered every option for Bahati’s best welfare – including finding him a home at another accredited organization. Ultimately, they decided the tapir yard at CMZoo – with plenty of shade and vegetation for the rainforest-native species – was Bahati’s best option.
“We are getting better and better at using both the natural history of the species and the behavior of the individual in front of us to inform our care,” Rick says. “Our goal is to provide animals with environments that are rich with the things that matter most to them.”
Bahati’s and Mochi’s care team will continue to monitor their behaviors closely, and make adjustments to their environment based on their needs. There’s no rush, and the future goal is to introduce the two animals without a barrier between them, so they both have full access to the yard.