On December 16th of last year (2020), Golden Takin at Tama Zoo moved mother "Hoi" (11 years old) and daughter "Nazuna" (3 years old) to a new enclosure. The move was simply within the same area.

Tama Zoo has been working on breeding Takin and has also been cooperating with other Takin keeping zoos in Japan to transfer individuals for bloodline management. As a result, the number of takins at Tama has increased to nine (four males and five females).

Breeding endangered animals is one of the important roles of a zoo. We are very pleased that visitors can see Takin population, which has increased as a result of these efforts, living together in groups.

However, as Takin population increased, new challenges arose. With the steady growth in the population, space became a problem. It is necessary to provide as large a sleeping area and enclosure as possible for the large Takin. Also, currently, males and females are separated to control breeding. This makes it difficult for all of them to use the enclosure equally.

Therefore, we came up with a plan to solve the space problem. In Takin area, there is a separate building, an auxiliary enclosure, located on the side of the adjacent chamois enclosure, distinct from the main building that contains the sleeping quarters. We decided to move Hoi and Nazuna to this auxiliary enclosure. Since the auxiliary enclosure hadn't been used for a while, we proceeded with maintenance such as mowing the grass and making improvements to the two enclosures.

Two animals in the new enclosure		Hoi rubs his body against the tree trunk		Two animals walking up a slope (foreground: Nazuna, background: Hoi)

On the day of the move, with the help of other staff members, we were able to complete the work without any problems. Hoi and Nazuna moved from their familiar home to a new environment, but they have now gotten used to their new sleeping quarters and enclosure and are settling in peacefully.

When Hoi and Nazuna are out in the chamois enclosure, you can see them from the walkway. The enclosure is higher than the walkway, so you have to look up to see it. Also, since it utilizes the natural terrain of the mountain, it's quite a steep slope. The staff members feel like they're climbing a mountain every time they walk through the enclosure. However, since Takin are animals that live in high mountains, they skillfully go up and down the slope with their large bodies.

The chamois in the neighboring enclosure was initially confused by the unexpected arrival of its new neighbor for the first few days, but now seems to have gotten used to it. There are several large sawtooth oak trees growing in the enclosure. The rough bark of the trees seems to be suitable for rubbing against, and the chamois seems to enjoy rubbing against them. Also, there is a tree stump about 50 cm high halfway up the hill, and Nazuna sometimes climbs on top of it and looks down at her surroundings.

The enclosure to which Hoi and Nazuna have been moved has some unique features compared to the previous main enclosure. The sight of the two Takin walking up the steep slope is truly impressive. Thanks to the move, it seems that the two have shown behaviors that we had never seen before.

[Namizawa, Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, South Tama Zoo]

(March 19, 2021)