The birth of Golden Takin "Minato"
July 17, 2026
On June 11, 2026, Golden Takin was born at Tama Zoo. The mother is named "Nazuna" and the father is named "Hama".
We placed the two takins together in the summer of last year (2025) with the aim of breeding, and observed them mounting three times between August and October. Although it was not certain whether mating was successful, there were no obvious signs of estrus after October, suggesting the possibility of pregnancy. The gestation period for Takin is said to be 7 to 8 months. Therefore, we prepared the enclosure in anticipation of giving birth between May and early June.
To give Nazuna more space, we removed the partition between her room and the two adjacent rooms. We also covered the floor with hay to prevent the calf from hitting the hard concrete when it is born and to give it a firm footing so it can stand up without slipping. This is Nazuna's first calving. In the unlikely event that she does not raise her calf, we have prepared artificial colostrum for cows so that we can help feed it by hand.
However, in May, Hama was observed attempting to mount Nazuna. And since Takin are animals whose bodies are covered in long fur, it is very difficult to tell if their belly is swollen. Even as the time for giving birth approached, there was no obvious change in her body shape, and June arrived. Just as I was beginning to think, "Maybe she's not pregnant after all? Maybe I should remove the bedding around mid-June," it happened.
When I went to the enclosure around 9 a.m., the baby had already been born. It wasn't standing yet, but its body was dry, so it seemed that the birth had taken place sometime between the night and morning. Despite it being her first birth, Nazuna was licking and taking care of her baby very well.
At 9:13, we confirmed that the pup was standing. However, its hind legs were spread apart, and it couldn't maintain an upright position properly. It repeatedly stood up and then fell over. We were very worried because it seemed unable to reach Nazuna's teats, but when it fell, it cried out loudly, and Nazuna licked it as if to encourage it, so we could see that they had a good relationship and we were able to watch over them with peace of mind.
Even after that, she would stand up but couldn't latch onto the nipple properly, or her timing was off with Nazuna's, so she couldn't drink properly. But at 11:39, I heard the sound of her sucking on the nipple, and I was finally able to confirm that she was definitely drinking breast milk.
Nazuna herself was calm, though more cautious than usual. She had a good appetite and was foraging well, and even when she was eating a little distance away, she would immediately return to care for her chicks when they cried out.
The baby Takin is growing bigger day by day. Inspired by his father Hama's name, we searched for a word related to the "sea," and since he was born in the month of June, we named him "Minato." We hope you will enjoy watching Minato grow up healthy and strong.
[Arashida, First Animal Care and Exhibition Section, South Tama Zoo]