In 1890 the explorer and journalist Henry Stanley was the first Westerner to report the existence of an animal known to the Wambutti pygmies as the O'api, which Stanley misheard as "atti." The Wambutti inhabit the dense Ituri Forest of the Congo. Occasionally their hunting pits would capture an O'api. The explorer and author Sir Harry H. Johnston undertook a journey into the Congo in 1899 to discover more about this mysterious creature. He befriended the Wambutti and learned more about the O'api from them. Initially Johnston thought the Okapi to be an unknown species of forest zebra. He obtained two headbands fashioned from okapi skins which he sent to the Zoological Society of London in 1900. The Wanbutti also showed him tracks which they said were those of the okapi. Johnston did not accept them since they were cloven-hoofed and therefore could not be from a member of the horse family. Later Karl Eriksson, the commandant of the Belgian Fort Mberi, sent Johnston a complete skin and two skulls. Johnston also sent these to the Zoological Society of London. The skulls proved that the okapi was not a new species of horse but instead a kind of forest giraffe. The okapi was given the scientific name Okapia johnstoni in honor of Sir Harry Johnston.
The story of the Okapi shows that a legendary animal known only to native peoples can exist.
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In addition to the stamps listed below, silver coins issued by Zaire in 1975 (left) and 1996 (right) depict the Okapi. |
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In the table below, a (*) following a country name indicates that stamp is probably a "Cinderella" issue which is not valid as genuine postage.
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I believe this stamp was the first to depict the Okapi. |
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This stamp is the same design as #225, but the inscription is reversed: Congo Belge then Belgisch Congo. Part of Belgium is French-speaking while the other part is Flemish-speaking. This dichotomy was reflected by inscriptions on the Congo colony stamps. |
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This stamp is the same design as #225, but the inscription is reversed: Belgisch Congo then Congo Belge. |
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This stamp is part of a series of twelve stamps depicting African wildlife. |
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This stamp is part of a set of six wildlife stamps. The other stamps in the set depict Przewalski's horses, the giraffe, the lesser panda, the white rhinoceros, and the European elk. |
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This stamp sbows a mother okapi and her calf. The stamp is part of a set of of six stamps depicting ungulates. |
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First of two okapi stamps on a souvenir sheet of eighteen publicizing the southernmost source of the Nile on Mt. Gikizi in Burundi. |
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Second of two okapi stamps on a souvenir sheet of eighteen publicizing the southernmost source of the Nile on Mt. Gikizi in Burundi. |
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This stamp is part of a strip of four stamps which also depicts Grant's gazelles, a cheetah, and white-backed vultures. |
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This stamp is part of a set of six stamps showing endangered animals. The set was issued under the auspices of the World Wildlife Fund. The other animals depicted include the African buffalo, the rhinoceros, the chimpanzee, the hippopotamus, and Buffon's kob. Also see the first day cover. |
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An Okapi appears at the left on this souvenir sheet |
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This stamp is part of a set of four stamps depicting African wildlife. The other animals shown are the rhinoceros, the giraffe, and the mandrill. |
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This stamp is part of a set of six stamps depicting wildlife of the world. A first day cover features the stamp along with a cachet from the National Audubon Society. |
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This stamp is part of a series of seven stamps depicting African wildlife. The other stamps show the elephant, rhinoceros, wart hog, cheetah, giraffe, and pygmy hippopotamus. |
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This stamp is part of a set depicting African wildlife. |
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This first stamp in a set of four depicts a grazing okapi. Also see the first day cover and the maximum card. |
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This second stamp in a set of four depicts a resting okapi. Also see the first day cover and the maximum card. |
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This third stamp in a set of four depicts a mother okapi with her young. Also see the first day cover and the maximum card. |
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This fourth stamp in a set of four depicts an okapi in water. Also see the first day cover and the maximum card. |
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This souvenir sheet shows an expanded image of the okapis in water as depicted on #1171. |
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Last modified by pib on July 6, 2003.
