As the animal protection organization Save the Elephants announced on Friday, the twins were born to a mother elephant named Alto. The rare event is a “double joy”. Video footage from the organization shows the sibling pair – two females – being nursed by their mother, surrounded by other animals in the herd.
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Elephant cows carry their offspring for almost 22 months, longer than any other mammal. They give birth approximately every four years. Twins only make up about one percent of elephant births. Last year, another pair of twins was born on the same reserve – a male and a female.
Twin births are not only rare, but also often dangerous for the calves. The penultimate pair of twins in Samburu were born in 2006, but both animals died after a few days.
According to the Kenya Wildlife Service, there are approximately 36,000 elephants living in Kenya. The stock had recently grown. Nevertheless, African elephants are still on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are therefore considered “endangered”. The hunt for ivory and the destruction of their habitat are among the greatest threats to the animals.
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