Tangjiahe National Park, Sichuan Province, China

26th - 30th March 2016

Determined to try and find some of the elusive wildlife that still survives in China's remotest mountains, I arranged to spend five days in Tangjiahe National Park in Sichuan Province. I wasn't at all sure what to expect, or whether I'd actually find any wildlife, but in fact it turned out to be an excellent site teeming with mammals and birds.

The highlight was certainly the Golden Takin, a huge endangered mountain goat the size of a large bull which spends the days high up in the mountians but comes down to the valleys at night to feed. Other mammals included Wild Boar, Hog Badgers, Chinese Goral, Tufted Deer and a Masked Palm Civet routing around in a car park rubbish bin!

Golden Takin (Budorcas taxicolor)


Masked Palm Civet ((Paguma larvata) raiding a rubbish bin.


Tufted Deer (Elaphodus cephalophus)

Tangjiahe also had many facinating birds. The exotic Golden Pheasant can be heard calling from deep in the undergrowth but is rarely seen. The Hoopoe on the other hand is happy to search for grubs and caterpillars in rough grass right next to buildings and roads. Brown Dippers live their whole lives in the river bed where they feed on small fish and invertebrates caught while swimming in the fast-moving current or walking along the river bottom.

Golden Pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus)


Hoopoe (Upupa epops) eating a caterpillar



Brown Dipper (Cinclus pallasii)