DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Zoo announced Friday that it said goodbye to a 14-year-old okapi after a “significant decline in her health last week.”

While its striped markings resemble that of a zebra, the Denver Zoo said the okapi is a relative of the giraffe. They can reach higher vegetation than most other hoofed animals thanks to their size and their versatile tongue. According to the Denver Zoo, okapi are one of the few mammals that can lick their own ears.

The zoo said that veterinarians and animal care teams anesthetized Kalispell, the okapi also known as Kali, to examine her and understand her health decline. Despite efforts and treatments, the zoo said she died on Dec. 19 surrounded by those who loved her.

Kali, born in June 2009, was part of The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan. She had a breeding recommendation with Sekele, a 14-year-old male okapi at the Denver Zoo, and was described as a fierce mother of two offspring with a sweet and gentle soul.

  • Kali, a 14-year-old okapi at the Denver Zoo, died after a "significant decline in her health last week."
  • Kali, a 14-year-old okapi at the Denver Zoo, died after a "significant decline in her health last week."
  • Kali, a 14-year-old okapi at the Denver Zoo, died after a "significant decline in her health last week."
  • Kali, a 14-year-old okapi at the Denver Zoo, died after a "significant decline in her health last week."
  • Kali, a 14-year-old okapi at the Denver Zoo, is seen with a calf.

Okapi are known for being shy, and Kali’s caretakers said she was no different. And though she could lick her own ears, her caretakers said the thing she truly loved — scratches inside the ear — would help her come out of her shell.

“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,” said Hayley, one of her caretakers. “Caring for her was the greatest privilege. The grief her absence leaves behind is profound because she was so deeply loved.”

The zoo said her offspring were huge conservation wins for the elusive and endangered species.

Her first calf, Jabri, was born in February 2014 and is now at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium on his own Species Survival Plan breeding recommendation.

Her second calf, Forest, was born in December 2017 and is enjoying adventures at the Sacramento Zoo thanks to a successful plasma transfusion that saved his life, the Denver Zoo said.

The zoo said Kali was able to voluntarily participate in her own medical care like hoof work, a CT scan, ultrasounds and reproductive cycle research. The zoo hopes that research will help her endangered species in the future.