Itanagar, Dec 17 (IANS): In joy for the Forest Department, Takin (or gnu goat) - one of the rarest mammals - was caught by a trap camera above 3,500 metres in Arunanchal Pradesh's East Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh.

It is first photo/image of Takin from East Kameng district, DFO Seppa, Vikas Swami said.

The Takin is adapted to its mountainous environment in Asia. Due to overhunting and the destruction of its natural resources, it is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

"We got a camera trap image in November. Seppa Forest Division had installed cameras above altitude 3500 metre as a part of Snow Leopard Survey programme with help of WWF-India (knowledge partner)," Swami said.

Exact number of individuals is not known to us, the Forest official said, adding: "But it's the largest mammal which is very rare to sight in wild."

Much of the ownership of the land rests with the local communities in the state and effectively a very small area falls under Forest Department. Several pockets have community driven conservation programmes while several have seen widespread hunting, both for sustenance and game.