From Richard Reynolds #2

Another (or the same) okapi seen by Bary at Epulu (nee Camp Putnam) in 1947. It has been the center of okapi collection and conservation since the end of WWII. In 1960 the Belgians withdrew and thereafter the independent Congo has gone through one bloody upheaval after another, involving several name changes for the country, e.g. Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Zaire, and back to DRC. The fighting in the area around Epulu and the okapi's haunt has been terrible. Over time it has waxed and waned. In the 1960s murderous marauders killed 25 okapis at Epulu. By the late 1990s the place was again on the upswing, aided by huge investments from around the world. One of the largest was (is) the Gilman Investment Co (Howard Gilman - Gilman Paper Co) and its White Oak Conservation Center in Yulee, FL. Now unfortunately, rampaging killers have struck again. On Sunday June 24, 2012 murderous Mai Mai Rebels attacked the Epulu Station. The Mai Mai include AK-47 toting children, some as young as 9 [This is remindful of the horror shown in the movie "Blood Diamond."]. When they were done 6 people lay dead, including conservation rangers and the wife of one of them. The guns were turned on the okapis and 14 of them were slaughtered. All the okapi conservation buildings were damaged or burned and everything of possible value (computers, satellite phones etc.) were stolen or destroyed. The attack was thought to be revenge by Morgan Sadala, a rebel leader whose gang has been poaching in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve. He objected to a crackdown on his operations which he saw as inspired by the conservationists.