Natural History

Bhutan takin

The Bhutan takin (Budorcas taxicolor whitei) is a subspecies of takin native to Bhutan but also found in northeastern India, western China, and Tibet. Locally known as drong gimtse, it is Bhutan's national animal. Takin have strongly featured in the popular Bhutan myth of divine cloning by the ‘Divine Madman’ Lama Drukpa Kunley, reinforcing the Takin's cultural and religious significance in Bhutan. Being social creatures with a varied herbivorous diet, they thrive in the temperate and subtropical forests of eastern Asia. The species has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2015. It is protected in all range countries.

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See also

• ▸Bayou
• ▸English longbow
• ▸Arabian bustard

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