On November 18, 2020, a female domestic yak (lat. Bos mutus (grunniens) named Sakura celebrates her 6th birthday. She was born in Mykolaiv Zoo, her parents are male Spartak and female Silva. Zoo staff say that the name of the birthday girl was chosen for a long time. They wanted it to be associated with oriental flavor. So after much deliberation, they decided to call her Sakura.
By nature, Sakura is a calm and balanced animal. At the age of 1,5 she became a mother. It was a surprise for the zoo staff, so her baby was named Surprise. And on August 18, 2017, Surprise went to the Askania-Nova Biosphere Reserve.
Our birthday girl lives together in one enclosure with her parents. It is located opposite the enclosure with tapirs.
Yak (Bos mutus (grunniens) - a mammal of the bull family. Homeland of the yak is Tibet. Wild yaks live in alpine meadows and alpine deserts.
Yaks have a thick and smooth coat, which forms a kind of "skirt" that reaches the ground and protects the animal from colds while resting on cold ground and in the snow. In bad weather, a baby hides under the "skirt". Also in a blizzard yaks hide females with babies in the middle of the herd, so they protect them from the weather. Wild yaks have an exclusively black color, domestic ones are brown and white-spotted. Yaks have a very well-developed sense of smell; their eyesight and hearing are usually weaker. The legs of yaks are shorter and thicker than those of cows.
Yak is an indispensable pack animal, it can carry loads weighing up to 150 kg, easily overcoming steep slopes. Carrying heavy loads where horses get tired very quickly; they can plow the ground where tractors do not pass. Female yak gives only 2-3 liters of milk per day, but its fat content is 6-7%, which is 2 times more than cow's milk. Sour cream and butter are made from fatty and tasty yak milk. From yak wool are made warm things. Herds of these ungulates do not need care, they are not afraid of winds and severe frosts.
We invite everyone to take a walk to Mykolaiv Zoo to congratulate Sakura on her birthday and see with their own eyes this interesting animal…