New at the zoo: Sichuan takin

 The Pueblo Zoo has added a Sichuan takin to its family of creatures.

 The takin — its name rhymes with “rockin’ ” — often is called a goat-antelope because of its appearance. It is native to western China and the mountainous bamboo forests of the Himalayas — the same habitat as the giant panda.

 The new female takin, whose name is Tashi, came to Pueblo from the Los Angeles Zoo and is on exhibit in the Asian Adventure section. The Pueblo Zoo will receive two more takin — a male from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and a female from the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Ind. They are expected to be here by mid-July but the extreme heat may delay their arrival until early fall.

 The takin (Budorcas taxicolor tibetana) migrate high into the mountains where food is plentiful in the summer, gathering in herds of up to 300 animals and eating leaves from deciduous trees and shrubs. In winter, when there is less food, they break into smaller groups and move to forested valleys at lower elevations, where they eat evergreen leaves and twigs.

 Both sexes have horns, which they use for defense, and they have few enemies — wolves, bears and humans, who hunt them for their meat. They are well-adapted to cold temperatures.

 The takin are managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan program and are rigorously protected by Chinese law because they are considered a national treasure.

 The zoo’s summer hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.  For more information, call 561-1452 or visit www.pueblozoo.org.

— Mary Jean Porter; source, the Pueblo Zoo