It’s not quite a cow, not quite a goat, but somehow both. Its stocky body is covered in shaggy golden fur, and its curved horns rise like a crown. It moves with a slow, deliberate confidence, pausing only to glance up, as if acknowledging your presence before going about its business. There’s something ancient about it, something that makes you understand why

Bhutan chose it as its national animal.

According to legend, the great Buddhist saint Drukpa Kunley, Bhutan’s beloved “Divine Madman”, once put together the head of a goat and the body of a cow, bringing the takin to life with a mere clap of his hands. Looking at the creature now, it’s easy to see why people still believe the story. The takin doesn’t seem to belong to any one world. It’s a creature of myths, of mist-covered mountains, of a place where the wild and the sacred have always been one and the same.

You take another step closer, watching as the takin disappears into the trees, its golden coat blending with the forest light. For a brief moment, you feel like you’ve witnessed something timeless, something that belongs to Bhutan alone.

Don't miss out on this place while you're in Bhutan!