Takin
Budorcas taxicolor

Native to the Himalayan mountains of Asia, goatlike takin have sturdy hooves and strong legs that help them keep their footing on rugged ground. Their thick wool keeps them warm in winter months.

What They Eat
Takin are ruminants—plant-eating animals that chew their cud. They eat more than 100 kinds of plants, including bamboo, rhododendron, and horsetail.

Where They Live
These rugged animals are at home in the cloud-shrouded tropical forests that grow on the steep, rocky slopes of Asian mountains. They live in herds and migrate with the seasons, following new plant growth up the mountains in summer, then gathering at lower altitudes, protected from the cold by their thick wool coats, in winter. They can survive up to timberline at 4,000 to 12,000 feet.

What They Do
Takin live in small herds made up of females, younger males, and offspring. Older males are often solitary. In summer the herds combine to form gatherings of up to 100 animals. In fall they separate again.

How They’re Doing
Considered a national treasure, takin are protected in China. Although they thrive on wildlife reserves, including land set aside to protect the giant panda, populations have been declining in recent years due to habitat loss and hunting.

Takin

• There are four subspecies of takin. The Minnesota Zoo exhibits the Sichuan subspecies.
• The Shaanxi subspecies of takin is thought to be origin of the Golden Fleece found in Greek mythology.
• Their hooves help takin move nimbly over rocks.
• Takin are crepuscular, meaning they are most active in early morning and late afternoon.

Helpful hints for viewing the animals

   

Takin

Care at the Zoo

You might think training is just for marine mammals or carnivores, but hoofed animals can benefit from training, too. Hoofed animals tend to be flighty and wary of unfamiliar objects and people. Zookeepers work with them to desensitize them so they can remain calm for an exam by a veterinarian. The takin are trained in a chute each day as they are shifted onto their exhibit. The animals are stopped in the chute for weighing and training. Being confined in a small space would normally be very stressful for them, but through calm, consistent training and positive reinforcement, the animals have learned to remain calm. Keepers use “leaf eater biscuits” and plants to reward the animals. Eventually the keepers hope to train the animals to allow their hooves to be trimmed while standing in the chute.

 

Conservation Notes

The takin is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN and is protected from trade under Appendix II of CITES. The Chinese government has given the takin full protection and considers it a national treasure, along with the giant panda and golden monkey, which share overlapping ranges with the Sichuan takin. Several reserves that have been set up in China for the giant panda also encompass and protect takin, and several additional reserves have been set up primarily for the takin.

Little is known about takin populations because the species lives in a rather inaccessible habitat, so field research on this species is lacking. However, scientists suspect approximately 1,000–1,300 golden takin, several thousand Sichuan takin, and perhaps 21,000 other takin thrive in the wild. There are 50 individuals of the Sichuan subspecies in North American facilities. The studbook that manages and recommends captive breeding for this species is maintained at the Minnesota Zoo.

Takin

Range and Habitat
Takin are found in three separate areas in west-central China and along the eastern Himalayas.

Description
Also known as antelope cows, takin are stocky with large muzzles, downward-curved noses, and split hooves. Both males and females have horns. Their heavy, often shaggy woolen coat is light colored with some darker areas. Their noses are black.

Habits and Adaptations
Female takin live in herds of 10–15 animals, along with youngsters and some adult males. Older males are solitary most of the year. In the spring takin migrate to upper elevations, eating new growth. By early summer, multiple female herds combine to form groups of up to 100 animals. Young animals sometimes form small nursery herds with older females in charge. Older, solitary males also migrate up the fog-shrouded mountains. In the autumn, takin disband into smaller herds to descend to lower elevations. Takin are slow and deliberate in their movements, and tend to use well-worn trails. They ascend and descend sheer rocky areas in a ponderous manner, though they can leap nimbly from rock to rock. Takin are alert and retreat to dense vegetation when alarmed.

Eat and Be Eaten
Sichuan takin are herbivores. They eat more than 100 different types of plants, including bamboo, rhododendron, and oak leaves; pine, willow, and cherry bark; and horsetail. They can strip leaves off of branches up to 8 feet off the ground. Humans are the main predators of takin, though it is possible that wolves prey on them as well.

Life History
Takin are believed to breed in late July through early September, but scientists have never observed breeding activity in the wild. Females give birth, usually to one calf, in March or April, after 200–220 days of gestation. The animals mature around 3½ years of age. Takin live 20 years in captivity and probably 15–18 years in the wild.