The kingdom of Bhutan is a small Asian country bordered on the south, east, and west by India and the north by China. Located on the slopes and foothills of the eastern Himalayas, the country features unusually diverse habitats from tropical lowlands to deciduous and pine forests to alpine terrain. This contributes to the diversity of Bhutan’s unique wildlife. The kingdom has received praise for its commitment to its wildlife and has pledged to dedicate over 25 percent of its land to parks and reserves.
The Official National Animal of Bhutan
The official national animal of Bhutan is the takin. This unique animal looks like muskox but is more closely related to sheep. Like the muskox, it is a large, stocky animal, with short, thick legs and spurred hooves with two toes. It has curving horns that can grow between 12 and 25 inches. Both sexes have horns. The takin has a coat of long, shaggy wool, and the faces of the males are dark. The animal stands between 38 and 55 inches at the shoulder and has a body length of between 63 and 87 inches. Males weigh between 660 and 770 pounds while females tend to weigh slightly less. Still, whether males or females are larger is uncertain, as the largest captive takin was a female who weighed 710 pounds.
The takin figures prominently in Bhutanese mythology. According to legend, the Buddhist monk Drukpa Kunley’s followers asked him to perform a miracle after a banquet where he ate a whole cow and a whole goat. So he took some of the cow bones and some of the goat bones and created the takin.
Where To Find The Top Wild Animals in Bhutan
The top wild animals in Bhutan can be found in Royal Manas National Park, which is home to the gaur, the largest of the wild cattle, wild pigs, and Asian elephants. Some animals in Bhutan, such as the one-horned Indian rhinoceros, are extinct in other parts of the world.
Other protected areas in Bhutan are the Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary, Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, Jigme Khesar Strict Nature Reserve, Jigme Dorji National Park, Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Jomotsangkha Wildlife Sanctuary, Phrumsengla National Park, and the Wangchuck Centennial National Park.
The royal government operates the Motithang Takin Preserve and the Royal Society for Protection of Nature maintains Phobjikha Valley.
The Most Dangerous Animals In Bhutan Today
- Bears – The Himalayan black bear has been known to attack humans in Bhutan. This is most likely because the near-sighted bear mistakes a standing human for another bear that’s challenging it.
- Leopard – The leopard, which is considered vulnerable to becoming extinct, rarely kills humans but should be treated with respect.
- Tiger – Tiger attacks in Bhutan are also rare, but tigers in other parts of the Indian subcontinent have been famously known to kill and even eat human beings. Between 1800 and 2009 373,000 people were killed by these magnificent but dangerous beasts, and that may be an undercount.
- Indian cobra – This venomous snake is small compared to the king cobra that’s also found in Bhutan. It prefers to flee if it’s threatened, but is dangerous if forced to defend itself or its eggs. The Indian cobra is one of four venomous snakes responsible for most of the death or injury from snakebite in the Indian subcontinent.
Endangered Animals In Bhutan
- Takin – Unfortunately, the status of Bhutan’s national animal is vulnerable.
- Hispid hare – This animal, also called the bristly rabbit, is endangered.
- Himalayan musk deer – This little deer is endangered.
- Golden langur – This Old World monkey is endangered.
- Dhole – This wild dog is very close to going extinct.