Zoo Wroclaw Welcomes First Golden Takin Birth
April 11, 2019
On March 12, a female Takin was born at Zoo Wrocław. The Zoo proudly shared that she is the first Golden Takin ever born in Poland!
Keepers have been observing a very good relationship between the new calf and her mother. “The mother is caring, and when we come near, she literally covers her calf with her body,” said Anna Rosiak, Zoo Wroclaw keeper.
The Zoo will continue to monitor the calf for the next month. After that, staff will make plans for the selection of a name for the new female Takin. Anna Rosiak shared that the name will relate to China (the native country for Takins) and it will start with the letter Z (same as the mother, Zhaoze).
When the new calf reaches sexual maturity, she will go to another zoological garden to help strengthen a newly established or existing breeding herd.
Eleven zoological gardens currently participate in conservation breeding of the species, including Tokyo and San Diego. Four individual specimens arrived at Zoo Wroclaw in the summer of 2017: Xian, Johnny Woo, Won Yu and Zhaoze.
The Golden Takin (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) is an endangered goat-antelope, native to the Qin Mountains in the southern Shaanxi province of China. Golden Takins have unique adaptations that help them stay warm and dry during the bitter cold of winter in the rugged Himalayan Mountains.
The diet of this species consists mostly of grass, leaves, flowers, and bamboo shoots. They prefer to feed at dawn and dusk.
Their large, moose-like snout has large sinus cavities that heats inhaled air, preventing the loss of body heat during respiration. A thick, secondary coat is grown to keep out the cold of the winters and provide protection from the elements. Another protection is their oily skin. Although Golden Takins do not have skin glands, their skin secretes an oily, bitter-tasting substance that acts as a natural raincoat in storms and fog.
The species is currently classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. Deforestation, hunting and fragmentation of habitats are the biggest threat to them.