Double joy of birth among the takins

February and March are typical months for takins to give birth. The breeding season usually occurs in the second half of summer, followed by a gestation period of 200–220 days. Among our three adult takins, Janek, the five-year-old male, was born on February 25, while the two four-year-old females, Manka and Panka, were born on February 20 and March 7, respectively.

The newborn calves are also following this schedule: Panka’s calf, Manka, who we have already shared a short video of, was born on February 25 (on its father’s birthday), and Manka’s calf was born yesterday, on March 5. The older calf, now ten days old, can often be seen in the enclosure: it jumps and tumbles a lot, and has even tried climbing rocks, though only under the watchful eye of Panka, the attentive mother. The youngest takin calf still needs some rest, so today neither Manka nor the calf will be on display. However, we plan to introduce both mothers and their calves later this week, so that our visitors can see both new arrivals.

By keeping takins at the Budapest Zoo, we fulfill two important missions. The first is education, as while elephants, giraffes, and gorillas are relatively familiar to most people, takins on the other hands are not well-known. By showcasing them, we introduce a new animal to the public’s mental map, while also highlighting the diversity of the animal kingdom.

Our second mission is conservation, specifically the preservation of the declining takin population. The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, of which we are a member, coordinates a Europe-wide breeding program for takins, among other endangered species, for conservation purposes. Each takin calf born in a zoo contributes to the preservation of these unique ungulates.

Due to their large size, many of our visitors assume that takins are closely related to bisons or yaks. However, among more familiar animals, sheep and goats are their closer relatives. Watching their movements and behaviour, it is easy to believe this, as takins display goat- or sheep-like agility when climbing rocks, and they can even stand on two legs to reach a tender leaf, much like the goat in the coat of arms of the town of Kecskemét (Hungary).

Takins are native to the mountainous regions of central Asia, in the eastern Himalayas and nearby high-altitude habitats. Within this region, several types of takins have evolved to adapt to local conditions. Science recognizes four such types, though there is some debate about whether these are different subspecies of the same species or four separate species. We have considerable experience in keeping takins, having previously housed Sichuan and Mishmi takins, and since 2020, our zoo has been home to the golden takins currently on display.

Given that takins are large animals, weighing up to 300 kilograms (about 660 pounds), it is not surprising that we use cattle terminology to describe them by age and sex. Thus, females are called cows, males are bulls, and young takins are calves. However, some suggest that we could borrow names from goats or sheep instead, so calling them “takinkids” or “takinlambs” would not be entirely out of place either. Ultimately, the best solution will likely be to give both newcomers a name, but we will return to this soon.