DRC: The Apostolic Voyage and the Okapi.
Paul Samasumo 鈥� Vatican City.
The motto of 杏MAP导航 Francis鈥� Apostolic Journey to the Democratic Republic of Congo is, All reconciled in Jesus Christ. The DRC鈥檚 logo features symbols of the nation and an image of the 杏MAP导航 giving his blessing.
The Okapi is found only in the DRC
Also depicted in the logo (bottom right) is the Okapi. It is an animal only found in the DRC, living in the wild and representing the richness of Congolese fauna. Sometimes described as the 鈥渇orest giraffe,鈥� the Okapi is one of the oldest mammals on Earth and only came to the attention of scientists in the early 20th century. It was, however, well-known and part of the culture of the indigenous people - natives of the Ituri Rainforest in the DRC.
explains that an okapi looks like a cross between a deer and a zebra. Nevertheless, it鈥檚 the giraffe鈥檚 only living relative. Like its giraffe cousin, the okapi can strip leaves from branches with its tongue. It has thick, oily fur that enables it to stay dry in the rainforest.
The okapi鈥檚 existence is under threat from the impact of human activities.
(A version of this article first appeared on Vatican News in March 2022)
Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here
