German Zoo Fans Are Taken With This Takin

A Mishmi Takin calf at Hellabrunn Zoo is already displaying the skills required to be a Takin: climbing, fighting, and leaping onto rocks.

Photo Credit: Tierpark Hellabrunn/Marc Müller

Born on February 19, the calf, named Paulina, displays her amazing climbing skills by springing onto rocks more than twice her height. Adult Mishmi Takins can leap more than 12 feet.

Paulina was born to female Kim, who is nursing her calf and being a good mother. The calf stood on her first try – an essential requirement for prey that need to run to survive.

Aside from mother’s milk, Paulina has nibbled on all the food that adult Takins like to eat, including carrots, hay, and pine needles.

Both female and male Takins have distinctive short, stout horns that curve upwards from the center of the head. Signs of baby Paulina’s horn growth began to appear three days after birth. This makes the little calf look like a mini version of her mother, who is nicknamed "Sporty Kim" by her keepers because she is so energetic.

Paulina follows Kim's every move and tests the power of her little horns by annoying her father, Till, who takes everything in stride.

Mishmi Takins are native to southeast Tibet, China's southwest Yunnan province, northeast India, and northern Myanmar. Their stocky, muscular bodies and two-toed hooves are well-suited to their mountainous habitat. Their thick, shaggy coats are covered by an oily substance secreted by the skin, which protects against the cold, damp air of the Himalayas.

See more photos of the Takin calf below.