Golden Takin

The Golden Takin is a ruminant belonging to the subfamily of goats that lives in the high mountains.

With its large snout (which helps warm the frozen air at the peaks it breathes) and its small horns curved backward, it looks somewhat like the African wildebeest.

Its coat varies from white to almost blackish-brown, but the subspecies present in Pairi Daiza, of Chinese origin (Sichuan and Shaanxi), has a beautiful golden fur: the myth of the Golden Fleece sought by Jason and the Argonauts might be based on that of the Golden Takin!

Measuring over 2 meters in length, with a shoulder height of 1.30 meters and weighing up to 350 kg, this large mountain goat is extremely resilient. Living at altitudes from 2,000 to 4,500 meters, takins move in small herds in winter, becoming more numerous in summer, sometimes in herds of a hundred individuals.

This animal withstands the cold thanks to waterproof hairs, lubricated by an oil secreted by its skin. This fur can be up to 25 cm thick on the throat and neck, providing good protection. The main predator of the takin is humans, who hunt it for its meat and fur. The species is classified as ‘vulnerable.