No-deal Brexit will put endangered forest giraffes at risk, experts warn

'Brexit is very bad news for conservation breeding,' says Sander Hofman, general curator of Antwerp Zoo

Okapis are from the Democratic Republic of Congo and have a brown body and zebra-like striped legs (Istock)

A no-deal Brexit will put the future of an endangered group of forest giraffes in jeopardy, conservation experts have warned.

Around 70 okapis, which are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and have a brown body and zebra-like striped legs, reside in zoos in the European Union where free movement rules support an inter-country breeding project.

Should Britain, which houses 15 okapis, crash out of the EU without a transition deal, it would probably be removed from the project.

Sander Hofman, general curator of Antwerp Zoo in Belgium, who coordinates okapi relocation for reproduction, said: “Brexit is very bad news for conservation breeding.

“Fifteen out of my 73 [okapis] are in the UK. You can imagine that if I need to remove these 15, it would be a big blow for my population but it would be even worse for the UK colleagues.”

The okapi is considered an endangered species which has seen a loss of its habitat due to logging and human settlement. Extensive hunting and illegal mining have also led to population declines.

About 350 zoos are part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), which allows transport of animals throughout the bloc for breeding purposes.

The UK has 40 member zoos, including Chester, one of the largest in Europe.

EAZA is now advising zoos to move animals that need to be shipped to or from Britain as fast as possible in case of a no-deal Brexit that would require arduous re-writing of rules to rejoin the breeding programme.

According to Ms Hofman, the rare forest giraffes in Britain are not the only animal affected by the Brexit woes.

”“It’s very difficult to plan an elephant transport. You can imagine how difficult it will be if you don’t even know what paperwork you have to deal with, or what port you have to go through,” he said. “I actually have no clue.”

Additional reporting by Reuters