Minnesota Zoo babies come in twos

The zoo announced the birth of its newest arrival, a baby takin, on the same day it introduced its new week-old baby Bactrian camel.

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

Last update: April 23, 2008 - 11:33 PM

The Chinese rank the takin -- a relative of the musk ox and mountain goat -- as a national treasure. And now there's one more of 'em.

Wednesday, the Minnesota Zoo announced the arrival of a baby takin. The birth occurred at 10:30 a.m., though it's still too early to determine the baby's gender.

The takin's birth came on the same day the zoo introduced its new baby Bactrian camel -- that's the two-hump variety -- to the world.

The takin's mom is Xing Xing, and this is her eighth calf; it's the third calf for the dad, Gesong. The three were on display Wednesday, but the newborn will likely go behind the scenes today and Friday to "ensure its health and safety and also to undergo a neonatal exam," zoo officials said in a news release.

Only 50 takin are in zoos in North America, said zoo spokeswoman Kelly Lessard.

The takin is a protected species in China and weighs 11 to 15 pounds at birth. When grown, they weigh 500 to 700 pounds, stand 30 to 52 inches tall at the shoulder and measure 4 to 7 feet from the head to the base of the tail.

In the camel world, Socrates, born April 15 at 92 pounds, went on public display Wednesday. (Bactrian camels are native to central Asia, while one-hump dromedary camels are native to Africa and the Middle East.)

By the time Socrates is 3 to 4 years old, he'll weigh 2,200 to 2,400 pounds and stand 8 feet tall.

The calf was born to his 8-year-old mother, also born at the zoo, after a 13-month gestation. His 7-year-old father has been at the zoo for four years. This is his ninth calf and her third.

Bactrian camels are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world's oldest and largest global environmental network. There are about 350 wild Bactrian camels in a Mongolian reserve and about 650 farther south in China's Xinjiang Province.

As for those humps, they are not filled with water. Made of fleshy tissue, they provide storage for fat.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482