Mature Takin (Bhutan’s national animal) grazing on a hill in the Motithang Takin Preserve (also known as the Royal Takin Preserve), Thimphu, Bhutan.

---

According to local legend, Bhutan’s national animal, the Takin, was created by Drukpa Kunley, a 15th century Tibetan saint known as “The Divine Madman.” During one of his religious lectures, Drukpa Kunley was asked by the Bhutanese people to perform a miracle. After eating a whole cow and a whole goat for lunch and saving the bones, the saint attached the skull of the goat to the skeleton of the cow, said some magical words and created a live animal, the Takin.

---

Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: Thimphu, Bhutan
Photo credit: © John Cumbow / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: adult, altitude, animal, antlers, asia, bhutan, bhutanese, biology, brown, center, clearing, conservation, creek, daytime, endangered, environment, exotic, free, fur, grass, grazing, hide, high, hill, hillside, horizontal, horns, lone, mammal, mature, meadow, national, outdoors, pasture, people, preserve, protected, range, rare, ruminant, solitary, species, stream, takin, tourism, travel, unique, unusual, wildlife