Tiergarten Nürnberg

Hardly anything is more delightful for a zoo keeper than the birth of an animal that is rarely kept in zoos. Therefore, the zoo teams was overjoyed when such a happy event even happened twice at the Tiergarten Nürnberg. On 6 April and 11 April, two takin calves were born. Their joy, however, was slightly diminished by the fact that both of the young takins were male. Since takins live together in harems, grown-up males are only tolerated in the group if enough females are available.

The impressive male takin KLECKS, weighing in at over more than 300 kg, is father of the two young takins. Many visitors have problems categorizing this animal species and therefore read the signs at the enclosures even more thoroughly. The German names "Rindergemse" ("cattle chamois") or "Gnuziege" ("gnu goats") for those animals that are usually simply called takins show that until today even experts do not quite agree on the closer relationship of those ruminants.

Hardly any observations on the animals in their natural habitat - the wet-cold, rhododendron-covered high mountain zone of Central Asia - are available since this area is almost inaccessible. Thus, only little is known about the animals' natural behaviour and the degree of their endangerment which is caused by poaching and the destruction of their habitats.