WHERE MYTH MEETS MUSCLE

In the mist-shrouded high hills of Arunachal Pradesh, an elusive mountain giant fights for survival

- AMBIKA AIYADURAI

It's the Salman Khan of our mountains," said a young man from Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh when asked about the elusive Mishmi takin. I first heard about the creature as a student of wildlife sciences, and more often while travelling through the region, and was struck by how often local communities spoke of it with awe.

Named after the Mishmi Hills, a mist-laden range of steep ridges and dense forests of the Dibang valley located at the country's northeastern tip, the Mishmi takin has an arresting face: a black, bulbous nose; a heavy, muscular frame; sharply curved horns; and a coat of long, shaggy fur. A tuft under the neck resembles a short beard, accentuating its strong jawline. Weighing around 300 kg, the animal resembles a gnu or musk ox. Few outside the eastern Himalayas have heard of the species, let alone seen one. But in Arunachal Pradesh it goes by many names: akru to the Idu Mishmi tribe, khyem to the Miju Mishmi and siben to the Adi tribal community.

Known to science as