Not just one, but two baby Sichuan Takins have been born at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, arriving on January
31 and February 9 respectively. Both are males. Just yesterday it was announced that the babies have been named Xing Fu, meaning happy good
fortune, and Mengyao, meaning superior handsomeness! Last week Lincoln Park Zoo's animal care experts picked six Mandarin names to honor the species’ roots, and put them out for a public vote.

The species
is native to China and surrounding mountain ranges, where they graze on shrubs
and grasses. They’re Vulnerable in the wild, a consequence of hunting and
habitat loss. Lincoln Park Zoo manages the species in partnership with other
zoos through the Sichuan Takin Species Survival Plan (SSP)®, a shared
conservation effort managed by the Zoo’s general curator, Dave Bernier.

Photo Credit: Lincoln Park Zoo

The addition of these two babies brings the Zoo’s Sichuan Takin herd  to five animals, along with their father, Quanli, who arrived from Montgomery Zoo in 2011 as part of an SSP breeding recommendation, and both moms, Jinse and Mei Li, a first-time mom who was born at the zoo herself in 2007. The herd will be on exhibit in the Antelope & Zebra area from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. for the next couple weeks as they adjust to life with the little ones. 

Watch this video of the little ones leaping and pushing around a ball: