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Every year in our books we feature tonnes of the world’s most extraordinary animals, and Jericho the Yak fits the bill.
Sprawled on the pages of Guinness World Records 2021, the adorable beast from Welch, Minnesota (USA) is being recognized for having the longest horns on a yak – a set which measures an astounding 346.4 cm (136.4 in).
Melodee Smith and Hugh Smith, Jericho’s owners, first acquired him in 2014. He was given to them by a friend who was retiring from keeping the yak.
He trusted that the couple would offer Jericho a happy and loving home.
With about 45 yaks, a horse, pig, and much more animals on their farm, Jericho was in good hands to be well cared for by the Smiths.
After the first couple of weeks of having him join their farm, Melodee knew he was special.
“Jericho was the kindest animal I ever knew. He was exceptionally docile and loving. He had a royal, respected air about him that the other yaks revered.”
But that’s not the only thing she noticed. After having kept yaks for quite some time, she realized unique his horns were.
“I knew right away when I received Jericho that his horns were exceptional. No other yak has horns even close to his size. I did try to help Jericho’s horn tips to not hurt his own body. Often, I would tape them with duct tape to protect the ends from rubbing on his neck.”
Melodee felt that it was important for Jericho’s horns to be acknowledged on a record-breaking level, so she applied to our website to see if he indeed broke an official Guinness World Records title.
After some additional verification, it was confirmed that his spread was unmatched by any other yak!
Jericho spent his time celebrating by doing his favourite things, like chewing cud and rolling around in mud puddles.
As yaks are originally from Tibet, they also celebrated by having 2,000 Tibetans and monks bless Jericho’s achievement.
When friends and family heard news of the record, they were overjoyed to learn he was being recognized in this year’s 2021 book.
Unfortunately, Jericho passed away of natural causes last December, but his legacy will forever live on in the record books.
Melodee and Hugh now honor his incredible accolade on their farm, which they remain very proud of.