For many species, the birth of twins is quite rare in the animal kingdom, which makes it even more remarkable when they do.
For this reason, a zoo celebrates the birth of baby Asian elephants “miracle twins”, an extraordinarily rare occurrence for the species.
Cre: Rosamond Gifford Zoo
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, recently announced that Asian elephants Mali and Doc gave birth to a pair of twin male elephants on October 24.
This is remarkable because less than 1% of elephant births worldwide are twins, and when this happens the babies are often stillborn and sometimes the mother does not even survive.
But fortunately, this was not the case here: both the twins and mom Mali are doing well, and the zoo reports “no complications”.
Cre: Rosamond Gifford Zoo
According to a press release, the firstborn calf arrived “perfectly healthy” and weighed 220 pounds. The second newborn arrived 10 hours later and was “noticeably weaker,” but his condition has improved significantly thanks to the vets on hand. He weighs 237 pounds.
The arrival of the second twin reportedly left staff “stunned” by the rarity, but the staff was prepared for any situation and worked hard to keep the newborn babies healthy.
Cre: Rosamond Gifford Zoo
This is also great news as the Asian elephant is an endangered species with fewer than 20,000 left in the wild, and threatened by illegal poaching and habitat loss.
The birth of not one but two elephants will go a long way to ensuring their future survival.
Cre: Rosamond Gifford Zoo
What amazing news. We’re thrilled by the arrival of these extremely rare, endangered elephant twins, and are glad they are doing so well!