MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/. A Sichuan takin kid has been born in the Moscow. Its gender is yet unknown, the Zoo’s administration said on Friday.
"Birth of takins is a big even for us. Takins, especially Sichuan takins, are rare in European zoos. These animals are listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN (the International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List," the zoo’s spokesperson said.
With horns like a wildebeest, a nose like a moose, a tail like a bear, and a body like a bison, the Sichuan takin is a migratory, goat-antelope that is native to mountainous bamboo forests of the Himalayan Mountains and Western China. Its closest relatives are sheep and to the goat-like aoudad, or Barbary sheep. The takin has think golden hair that helps it stay warm and dry during cold winters. Despite being large-sized mammals, there is little information on this species due to inaccessibility of the species in its rigorous mountainous habitat.
A takin pair arrived to Moscow from the Beijing zoo in 2009. It is their fifth kid.