Takin spotted in NW China nature reserve

LANZHOU - A takin was spotted in Gahai-Zecha National Nature Reserve in Northwest China's Gansu province.

Staff of the nature reserve's station in Gahai said that while on a periodic monitoring of birds on September 22, they found the takin walking toward Gahai Lake. It then sat on the grass of a mud flat. The reserve has captured the mammal on camera for the first time.

The large, muscular, hoofed mammal is sometimes referred to as a goat antelope. As a Class A protected animal in China, it mainly inhabits high mountain forests and meadows at an altitude of above 2,500 meters.

"It is rare to see a takin in this region. Walking alone in Gahai, the takin might have lost its way or dropped out of its herd," said Zhang Lixun, a zoologist at Lanzhou University, who called for further tracking and monitoring of the animal.

The nature reserve, situated on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is an important water source for the Yellow River, China's second longest waterway. Efforts have been made to protect the wetlands and biodiversity in the reserve since it was established in 2003. There are 86 animal species in the Gahai wetland, among which 63 are birds.