In June 2012, the Okapi Reserve headquarters in the Democratic Republic of Congo came under severe attack by a rebel group retaliating for a crackdown on poaching. They brutally killed several rangers and their families, burned and looted the facilities, and killed all 14 Okapi that were part of the research and breeding program. The devastating Okapi deaths essentially destroyed 20+ years of work, making it unclear whether the research and breeding program could recover from the loss. All pictures were taken in 2010 prior to the attack.
