Takin
Golden fur.
Drajay1976 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · P. Hughes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Benjissimo — CC BY 3.0
A small forest preserve on the hillside above Thimphu, home to the takin, Bhutan's national animal: an odd-looking relative of the goat, big-bodied and golden-furred, with a broad nose and twisted horns, living in the eastern Himalaya. A Bhutanese legend says a famous saint made the takin by a miracle, putting a goat's head on a cow's skeleton, and the animal came to life and wandered off to graze, which is why it looks like a mix of the two. The animals once lived in a small zoo; the king ordered them freed, as caging them sat poorly with Buddhist values, but they kept wandering the city streets, so this fenced preserve among pines was created, watched from a wooden walkway. A few deer live here too. Morning, at feeding time, is best for sightings. The small fee differs between sources. Most visitors to Bhutan pay a Sustainable Development Fee of USD 100 per person per night, fixed until August 2027, and a licensed guide is required at dzongs and major temples.
Golden fur.
A goat's head.
On the hill.
Motithang, on the hillside west of Thimphu
Bhutan's national animal, a large golden-furred relative of the goat that legend says a saint made from a goat's head and a cow's skeleton.