The takin, Bhutan's national animal

Burdorcas taxicolor is a hoofed member of the bovidae family which seems to have the head of a sheep and the body of a cow. It, too, has various religious and mythological associations; legend has it that this animal was conjured up by Lam Drukpa Kuenley, a late-15th-century Buddhist monk and missionary born in Tibet and notorious for his crude and unorthodox ways of preaching Buddhism. Today this is a rare animal, and its conservation status is "vulnerable," but there's a takin reserve in capital Thimphu for those wishing to see this strange and impressive animal up close.

Read more about this fascinating country in Tripatini member Truly Bhutan's post An Overview of the Mystical Kingdom of Bhutan.

Rufus46

 

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