Zoo shows off okapi named after Meghan Markle

The okapi was born in December.

ZSL London Zoo/REX via Shutterstock

April 5, 2018, 10:15 AM

LONDON -- The London Zoo is showing off a baby okapi it named after royal bride-to-be Meghan Markle.

The zoo released video of the okapi, born in December and named after Markle in January.

Meghan the okapi is introduced to the public at ZSL London Zoo, April 5, 2018. The four-month-old, named at birth after Meghan Markle in celebration of the forthcoming Royal Wedding.
ZSL London Zoo/REX via Shutterstock

“The okapi was the first animal to be born at London Zoo since the announcement of the royal engagement and we named her after Meghan as a mark of respect for the occasion,” a London Zoo official told ABC News. “A new birth is always cause for celebration, but Meghan’s important arrival is also a great opportunity to draw attention to the okapi, which is an extremely endangered species.”

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Okapis originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo and are also known as forest giraffes. They are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered.