St. Louis Zoo announces birth of rare goat-antelope

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Zoo announced Thursday its latest addition: a female takin, a little-known goat-antelope native to Tibet and central China.

The takin (rhymes with rockin') was born Nov. 24 at the zoo, where her sister Xie Xie (SHAY- SHAY) was born in August 2002. The baby, named Li, which means "beautiful" in Chinese, can be seen climbing about her yard with her family at the Zoo's Red Rocks area.

The takin is native to the mountainous dense bamboo forests of southeastern Tibet and central China. Its most distinctive feature is its shaggy golden coat, which some believe is the "golden fleece" of Greek mythology. While takin adults have a golden hue, the baby is dark and fluffy.

Takins are found at just a handful of zoos. The 14-year-old father, Kiko, weighs about 800 pounds and is on loan from the San Diego Zoo, where he was born. The 4-year-old mother, May, weighs about 450 pounds and is on loan from the Minnesota Zoo, where she was born.

The baby weighed 20 pounds at birth.

Scientists believe the number of wild takins is declining due to hunting.