Our dedicated Veterinary Medicine and Animal Care teams worked tirelessly to try to understand and address these issues by performing a complete examination under anesthesia at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital. However, despite our best efforts and treatments, Kali passed away on Tuesday, December 19, surrounded by those who loved and cared for her.
Our Veterinary Medicine team will conduct a postmortem exam to better understand the full breadth of her condition.
Kalispell, or Kali as her team liked to call her, was born on June 27, 2009, at Denver Zoo. At the time of her birth, she was one of five okapi born at the Zoo and quickly became a beloved member of our animal family.
During her time with us, Kali was also part of The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan and had a breeding recommendation with Sekele, our 14-year-old male okapi. Kali was an incredible mother to two offspring and these births were huge conservation wins for this elusive and Endangered species. Kali’s first calf, Jabari, was born on February 3, 2014, and has since moved to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium on his own SSP breeding recommendation. Many Denver Zoo fans will remember Kali’s second calf, Forest, who was born on December 4, 2017, and required swift medical care from dedicated AZA staff around the country to survive. Thanks to a successful plasma transfusion that saved his life, Forest is now quite the impressive male enjoying his own adventures at the Sacramento Zoo.
Kali’s caretakers describe her as a fierce mother to two calves, while simultaneously having the sweetest most gentle soul. Animal Care Specialist Hayley C. also shared this about Kali: “She was shy with most people but would sometimes come out of her shell for what she truly loved; scratches inside her ear. And she was not subtle when she wanted scratches. When Kali approached you, turned her head slightly, and deliberately presented her giant ear- she CHOSE you. And as the ‘chosen one,’ your only job was to stand there loving on her for as long as she wanted. Caring for her was the greatest privilege. The grief her absence leaves behind is profound, because she was so deeply loved.”
Thanks to the trusting relationships Kali built with her Animal Care Specialists over the years, she was able to voluntarily participate in many aspects of her own medical care like voluntary hoofwork, ultrasounds when she was pregnant and reproductive cycle research. She was one of two okapi in human care to have had a CT scan and the hope is that this research will further help her Endangered species.
This gentle girl will be dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her. We invite you to share your favorite moments, memories and photos of Kali in the comments below.