Takin - The National Animal Of Bhutan

The first time you see a takin, you might think nature made a mistake — or played a very good joke. With its gnu-like snout, arched horns, barrel-shaped body, and shaggy golden-orange coat, the takin looks like an animal assembled from spare parts. Yet this improbable creature is Bhutan’s national animal, and the story of how it came to be is as extraordinary as the beast itself.

A Miracle of the Divine Madman

The takin’s religious significance is rooted in one of Bhutan’s most beloved legends. In the 15th century, the legendary “Divine Madman” Lama Drukpa Kunley arrived in Bhutan from Tibet. When the people asked him to perform a miracle, the saint demanded an entire cow and a goat be served to him for lunch. After devouring the animals’ flesh down to the bones, he took the remaining skeletons and fixed the goat’s head onto the cow’s body. With a snap of his fingers and a mystical mantra, Kunley brought this impossible creature to life — and named it the Dong Gyem Tsey, the takin. Locally, it is also known as drong gimtse.

A Beast of Mythical Proportions

Mature male takins live up to their legendary origin: some weigh over 300 kilograms and stand 1.4 metres tall at the shoulder. Their thick coats range from brownish-yellow to a brilliant orange, with the oldest males displaying the most vibrant hues. Curving horn ridges and distinctively upturned “Roman” noses complete an appearance that is both formidable and oddly endearing.

These gregarious herbivores undertake seasonal migrations between alpine meadows at elevations up to 5,500 metres in summer and subtropical forests as low as 700 metres in winter. Their varied vegetarian diet includes grasses, bamboo, herbs, and shrub leaves foraged across this extraordinary altitudinal range. Takins are often found along river valleys and near natural salt licks, and despite their shyness and preference for remote terrain, they are frequently sighted near sacred Buddhist sites and monasteries.

Conservation

Unfortunately, habitat loss and overexploitation have placed the takin on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable to extinction. The Bhutanese government has responded by establishing key protected areas within Jigme Dorji National Park (considered the stronghold, hosting an estimated 500–700 individuals), Wangchuck Centennial National Park, Phrumsengla National Park, and three territorial forest divisions in Wangdue, Paro, and Thimphu. The takin also inhabits parts of northeastern India and western China, but Bhutan remains its spiritual and physical heartland.

Motithang Takin Preserve

In the Motithang district of Thimphu, the Motithang Takin Preserve offers visitors the chance to observe the national animal in a contained environment. Originally a mini-zoo, it was converted into a preserve when an endearing discovery was made: the takins refused to inhabit the surrounding forest even when set free, preferring to stay exactly where they were.

The enclosures span 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres), and in 2004, the Royal Government of Bhutan and WWF Bhutan collaborated on improvements including a traditionally styled entrance gate, an information centre, signage, and facilities. The preserve has become one of Thimphu’s most popular attractions — a place where visitors can come face to face with a creature that belongs as much to mythology as to zoology.

While trekking through Bhutan’s forests and alpine meadows, you may be fortunate enough to spot takins roaming freely in the wild — a sight that feels like stumbling into the very legend that gave them life. If the remote highlands are beyond your itinerary, Motithang offers the next best thing: a chance to stand before Bhutan’s national animal and marvel at the fact that, in this kingdom, even the wildlife is miraculous.