Warning over threats facing okapis in Maïko National Park in Maniema

Lubutu’s Forces Vives civil society group warns that armed poaching, deforestation and illegal mining threaten okapis and their habitat in Maïko National Park in Maniema. In a statement issued on October 18 for World Okapi Day, it urged authorities to increase the number of ICCN wildlife rangers and step up patrols. The group also called for the okapi to be officially recognized as natural heritage shared by Maniema, North Kivu and Tshopo, and recommended backing sustainable farming, livestock raising and fish farming for nearby communities. Its president, Jean-Pierre Mutoro Mumbere, urged young people and schools to help protect the species.