MOTITHANG TAKIN PRESERVE

The reserve used to be a mini-zoo where a few takins, the country's national animal resembling an African wildebeest, grazed. Believing that a zoo ran counter to the Buddhist values of respect for all living creatures, it was abolished by the fourth king of Bhutan, who released the takins back into the wild in an enclosed area to prevent them from roaming the streets of Thimphu. The best time to observe them is early in the morning, when they come to collect their hay.