It’s always a special day when an animal gives birth, especially when it’s a twin, giving birth to two young animals at once.
For many species, the birth of twins is quite rare, which makes them even more remarkable.
That’s why one zoo is celebrating the birth of «miracle twins» of Asian elephants, which is extremely rare for this species.
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo, in Syracuse, New York, recently announced that Asian elephants Mali and Doc gave birth to a pair of male elephant twins on October 24.
This is remarkable because less than 1% of elephants born worldwide are twins, and when they do, the babies are often stillborn and sometimes the mother doesn’t even survive.
But, fortunately, this was not the case: both the twins and Mali’s mother are doing well, and the zoo reported that «there are no complications.»
According to a press release, the firstborn was born «perfectly healthy» and weighed 220 pounds.
The second baby arrived 10 hours later and was «significantly weak», but with the vets on hand, his condition improved significantly.
The arrival of the second twin was reportedly «surprised» by staff due to its rarity, but staff were prepared for any situation and worked to ensure the newborns were healthy.
This is so good news because 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 two elephants will go a long way in ensuring their future survival.
“This is truly an historic moment for the zoo and our community. I couldn’t be prouder of our exceptional animal care team, the support of the veterinary staff and their tremendous dedication to Mali and the twins,” said County Executive Ryan J. McMahon.
What amazing news. We are very excited about the arrival of these extremely rare, endangered elephant twins and glad they are doing well!
