Rare Elephant Twins Born In South Africa
- 10 years ago
A pair of African elephant twins was recently born at South Africa’s Pongola Game Reserve. The 31-year-old mom named Curve and her new babies are being monitored by staffers at the facility.
A pair of African elephant twins was recently born at South Africa’s Pongola Game Reserve. The 31-year-old mom named Curve and her new babies are being monitored by staffers at the facility.
It's rare to see twins among elephants. The odds of it happening are less than one percent and it’s also unusual for both twins to reach adulthood.
Staffers are now doing everything they can to make sure the twins live and thrive. In addition to keeping a close eye on the new family, Curve and her offspring are given ample amounts of space and privacy so they won’t encounter any stress.
Dr. Ian Whyte, Kruger National Park’s elephant specialist, remarked “This is the best approach. Mortality of one of the twins usually occurs as the increasing demand for milk by two calves cannot be met by the mother and the less dominant of the two calves usually cannot gain access to its share.”
Curve is an experienced mother, having previously given birth to three male elephants. Officials at the game reserve believe the father is a 44 year old elephant bull that died last year.
The gender of the twins has not yet been determined.
A pair of African elephant twins was recently born at South Africa’s Pongola Game Reserve. The 31-year-old mom named Curve and her new babies are being monitored by staffers at the facility.
It's rare to see twins among elephants. The odds of it happening are less than one percent and it’s also unusual for both twins to reach adulthood.
Staffers are now doing everything they can to make sure the twins live and thrive. In addition to keeping a close eye on the new family, Curve and her offspring are given ample amounts of space and privacy so they won’t encounter any stress.
Dr. Ian Whyte, Kruger National Park’s elephant specialist, remarked “This is the best approach. Mortality of one of the twins usually occurs as the increasing demand for milk by two calves cannot be met by the mother and the less dominant of the two calves usually cannot gain access to its share.”
Curve is an experienced mother, having previously given birth to three male elephants. Officials at the game reserve believe the father is a 44 year old elephant bull that died last year.
The gender of the twins has not yet been determined.