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My local zoo welcomed a set of twin elephants (boys)! Less than 1% of elephant births are twins.
https://www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org/news/zoo-news/asian-elephant-delivers-miracle-twins-at-rosamond-gifford-zoo/Asian Elephant Delivers Miracle Twins at Rosamond Gifford Zoo
SYRACUSE, NY, November 10, 2022 – The Rosamond Gifford Zoo has made history. Male Asian elephant twins were born to parents Mali and Doc at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on October 24, 2022.
The zoo is thrilled to announce that Mali and both her calves are currently doing well. For the past two weeks, the elephant care team has been monitoring the twins around the clock to ensure both are thriving.
Mali delivered the first calf at 2 a.m. with no complications. The calf was a male at 220 pounds and perfectly healthy.
The second calf came ten hours later at 11:50 a.m. in an event that astonished the animal care staff. The second calf was also male, weighed 237 pounds, but was noticeably weaker than the first. The zoo’s animal care team and veterinary staff sprang into action and were able to significantly improve the calf’s condition.
SYRACUSE, NY, November 10, 2022 – The Rosamond Gifford Zoo has made history. Male Asian elephant twins were born to parents Mali and Doc at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo on October 24, 2022.
The zoo is thrilled to announce that Mali and both her calves are currently doing well. For the past two weeks, the elephant care team has been monitoring the twins around the clock to ensure both are thriving.
Mali delivered the first calf at 2 a.m. with no complications. The calf was a male at 220 pounds and perfectly healthy.
The second calf came ten hours later at 11:50 a.m. in an event that astonished the animal care staff. The second calf was also male, weighed 237 pounds, but was noticeably weaker than the first. The zoo’s animal care team and veterinary staff sprang into action and were able to significantly improve the calf’s condition.
[snip]
Elephant twins comprise less than 1% of elephant births worldwide. Of twin pregnancies, twins are often stillborn or are too weak to survive. Sometimes the mother elephant does not survive. To date, there has never been a recorded case of surviving elephant twins in the United States. The few successful twin births have only taken place in their range countries in Asia and Africa and nowhere else in the world.
Due to the sheer improbability as well as the complexity of elephant ultrasounds, the zoo team did not anticipate the birth of twins. However, they were prepared. Elephant care staff have been supplementing the second calf with a specialized milk replacer they received days before the delivery.
Due to the sheer improbability as well as the complexity of elephant ultrasounds, the zoo team did not anticipate the birth of twins. However, they were prepared. Elephant care staff have been supplementing the second calf with a specialized milk replacer they received days before the delivery.
Short video of them learning to use their trunks:
https://fb.watch/gPFviYbpg5/
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