Okapi mothers encourage calves to delay defecation. This reduces scent that could attract predators. Calves may go weeks without leaving waste. Mothers monitor and guide this behavior. It is a rare mammal strategy. Survival depends on secrecy.
This dramatically lowers predator detection. Scent control equals safety.
It shows parental influence can extend to physiology. Survival training starts immediately.
This behavior is almost unheard of in large mammals.
National Geographic (nationalgeographic.com)