I read a book as a child about these kids that find this guy at the zoo who talks about this mystical almost-extinct animal who was hidden inside a secret place which could only be accessed through meditation.
The book follows them as they learn how to access the place and go through treacherously and try to beat the mystical creature’s henchmen and find it. Once they find it the scientist who helped the children helps the creature create a female version so it can save itself from going extinct.
I’m trying to find what it’s called but it’s called “the BLANK” where BLANK is the name that they call this creature in the book