Book launch - Discovering the Okapi

Join us for the launch of Discovering the Okapi by Simon Pooley. Hear stories about the creation of the book, including behind the scenes at London Zoo and the Natural History Museum. Learn the fascinating story of ZSL's history with okapi, and take part in an audience Q&A with the author.

There will be an opportunity to purchase copies of the book (at a 30% discount) during the evening.

Discovering the Okapi: Western Science, Indigenous Knowledge, and the Search for a Rainforest Enigma (Johns Hopkins University Press)

Discovering the Okapi offers a fascinating portrait of the okapi—an elusive short-necked giraffid with zebra stripes, surviving in the rainforests of central Africa’s Congo Basin. Combining history, science, and cultural analysis, this book unpacks the complicated layers of Western science and indigenous knowledge that shape the world's understanding of this unique and endangered creature.

It tells the story of the okapi's "discovery" in 1900 by British naturalist Sir Harry Johnston, and the over-looked contributions of the indigenous African people whose expertise made this sighting and subsequent hunt for specimens possible. As Jonathan Kingdon notes, the book includes “an impressive account of okapi research during the imperial era,” but also traces how colonial politics and scientific racism shaped early accounts of the animal's study and examines the enduring biases that continue to influence conservation efforts today.

Richly detailed and deeply personal, Discovering the Okapi urges us to preserve biodiversity in a world of clashing worldviews and to view the okapi not just as an object of fascination, but as a powerful symbol of shared responsibility for our planet's future. As Kingdon observes of the book, "throughout, Pooley cultivates an intense empathy for an exceptionally beautiful animals - an emblem for one of the most complex communities on earth."

About the Author: Dr Simon Pooley

Dr Simon Pooley is Lambert Reader in Human-Wildlife Coexistence at Birkbeck University of London. In addition, he is affiliated with ZSL; School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Coexistence Consortium, India; and the Centre for World Environmental History, University of Sussex. Simon grew up on crocodile research stations in nature reserves in northern KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He leads working groups on coexisting with wild animals for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence, and Crocodile, Specialist Groups. Simon has been interested in okapi since childhood, and during a period of recuperation after dengue fever extending into the COVID-19 lockdowns, and following visits to ZSL London Zoo, started work on his book Discovering the Okapi as a recovery project.

Attending this event

• This event is free to attend but registration is required so we can monitor event numbers.
• The event will feature a presentation from the author, followed by a Q&A discussion. It will run from 6:00pm - 7:30pm, and doors will open at 5:30pm.
• Seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Venue: Huxley Lecture Theatre at the Meeting Rooms of the Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, NW1 4RY.
• Travel: Nearest underground: Camden Town Station; Nearest bus: no. 274.

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