Rare twin elephant calves born in Samburu
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Loading... - Ducha Tanui
- 21 Jan 2022
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An elephant has given birth to twins for the first time in nearly 15 years in Kenya, wildlife authorities confirmed.
The twin calves, spotted in Samburu National Park, are just a few days old.
Female elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals which lasts as long as 23 months, almost 2 years.
Of the live births among elephants, twins account for only 1%, a mother does not usually have enough milk for two calves.
Typically, they only give birth to one calf at a time, but throughout their whole lives, they can give birth to as many as 12 calves.
The birth of the twins, one male and one female, came as a surprise to research and protection organisation Save the Elephants, which monitors the family of elephants in the park.
There has been a surge in elephant populations in Kenya, according to the the first ever wildlife census carried out last year.
The numbers have increased since Kenya cracked down on illegal poaching in its fight to conserve vital wildlife. As of September 2021, Kenya was a home to a total of 36,280 endangered elephants. Read More…
