Takin

Facts

IUCN VULNERABLE (VU)

Facts about this animal

The Takin is a heavily-built, deep-chested, ox-like animal with shaggy coat, stout limbs with larger lateral hooved (dewclaws), convex facial profile, hairy muzzle, and fairly massive black horns. Coat colour is varying from orange-yellow through straw brown to blackish brown. It has a dark strip along the back. Both sexes have horns; they almost touch at the base and are up to 63.5 cm long. Head-body length is 100-237 cm, shoulder hight is 68 - 140 cm. It weighs from 150 to 400 kg. There's no marked sexual dimorphism, but males are generally larger and heavier than females, with lighter coloured coats and longer horns.

Did you know?
that some believe that the Golden Fleece of the Greek mythology (Argonautica saga) was the skin of a takin? There are indeed various interpretations of the Golden Fleece: For example, it has been suggested that the story of the Golden Fleece signified the bringing of sheep husbandry to Greece from the east, that it refers to golden grain, or to the sun, or that it relates to a method of collecting gold from streams in the Caucasus by means of sheep skins.

Factsheet
Class	MAMMALIA
Order	ARTIODACTYLA
Suborder	RUMINANTIA
Family	BOVIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Budorcas taxicolor
Name (English)	Takin
Name (French)	Takin
Name (German)	Takin
Name (Spanish)	Takin
CITES Status	Appendix II
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Vladimír Motyčka

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar?
Habitat	Typically associated with dense thickets of tropical evergreen forest between 2'500 - 3'700 m, but in summer ranges above the treeline into alpine regions.
Wild population	Populations are suffering from over-hunting, tourism and habitat destruction. Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi was estimated to number about 1200 specimens in 1990. Declining.
Zoo population	152 reported to ISIS (2007)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport, Container Note 73 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Trisha Shears

Why do zoos keep this animal

The takin is taxonomically close to the musk ox but looks different from any other ungulate. Displaying takins to the public is therefore of educational interest.

The takin is also rated vulneabrle by IUCN, and zoos undertake some efforts - there is one regional coordinated breeding programme to maintain viable ex situ populations.

How this animal should be kept

Takins live in small mixed herds in winter, in larger herds in summer, and old males often solitary. At the zoo, takins should be kept in not too large groups, and there should be separation enclosures for adult males.

For up to 4 adults an outdoor enclosure of at least 500 m² is required, which should be enlarged by 50 m² per each additional adult. There should also be a smaller enclosure for temporarily separating individual animals as may be required. There must be some shelter protecting from rain, wind and sun, which must be large enough to accommodate all animals, but the animals are cold resistant and no closed stable is required, although a stable may be useful for trapping individual animals.

Climbing opportunities must be provided by natural rocks or artificial rockwork. Marly limestone ("mergel") is an ideal substrate for covering the soil. In case of sand-covered or natural soil there should be paving the feeding sites and around the shelter.

Takins are selective grazers/browsers. They should be fed on a diet of good hay, grass, branches in leaves, coniferous branches, pellets and mineral salt.