Discovering the Okapi: Western Science, Indigenous Knowledge, and the Search for a Rainforest Enigma

The captivating history of the okapi and its symbolic role in science, culture, and conservation. In Discovering the Okapi, Simon Pooley offers a fascinating portrait of the okapi—an elusive short-necked giraffid with zebra stripes, surviving in the rainforests of central Africa’s Congo Basin. Combining history, science, and cultural analysis, this book unpacks the complicated layers of Western science and indigenous knowledge that shaped the world’s understanding of this unique creature. Pooley tells the story of the okapi’s “discovery” in 1900 by British naturalist Sir Harry Johnston—and the overlooked contributions of the indigenous African people whose expertise made this sighting and subsequent hunt for specimens possible. The book traces how colonial politics and scientific racism shaped early accounts of the animal’s study and examines the enduring biases that continue to influence conservation efforts today. The okapi became a symbol of scientific curiosity, colonial power, and conservation challenges, revealing complex intersections among biodiversity, cultural heritage, and environmental stewardship. From its capture and exhibition in European zoos and its representation in Western museums and visual media to its role in African art and mythology, the okapi’s story is as much about human history as it is about one extraordinary animal. The okapi’s precarious existence in captivity and the wild exposes how Western and indigenous approaches to conservation can—and must—find common ground for its survival. Richly detailed and deeply personal, Discovering the Okapi urges us to preserve biodiversity in a world of clashing worldviews and to view the okapi not just as an object of fascination, but as a powerful symbol of shared responsibility for our planet’s future.