Elephant twins are quite rare in the world of zoology. There is only a 1% chance that twin elephants survive, as a mother does not usually have enough milk to feed them. Whether one of the calves dies or so does the mother, due to weakness. Therefore, when rare elephant twins were born and survived in a zoo, it caused a stir.
Elephants are majestic creatures and are known for their intelligence, emotions, and social bonds with their herd. They are also friendly with humans because of their highly developed cognition.
Recently the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, has announced that an Asian elephant has successfully given birth to male twins. They also stated that the mother elephant named Mali and her twins are doing well.
There are only 1% of twins among all the elephant births across the world. So, it might be the reason that everyone was celebrating and excited about their birth. They announced this news late because elephants scarcely give birth to twins. Usually, they give birth to one baby at a time or if they have given birth to two then there is almost a 1% chance of survival. Most baby elephants die because of weakness, and so does the mother at the time of birth.
According to CNN, the first baby was born at 2 am, weighing 99 kg, and ten hours later, Mali gave birth to another child weighing more than 100 kg, but weaker than the first. Everyone was surprised after the second birth.
The zoo’s veterinarian staff paid extreme attention to the babies to improve their condition. They took care of the twins until they were sure that they were no longer in danger.
They prepared a specialized milk substitute to supplement the second baby elephant’s diet. Well, this rare elephant twins’ birth is a historic moment for Rosamond Gifford Zoo and animal lovers.
The twins’ birth has also touched scientists all over the world because they have been trying to protect this endangered animal for so long. Rosamond Zoo also hopes that research into the birth of twins will contribute to the efforts to figure out the reason for elephants’ deaths at the time of birth.
Mali has also given birth before, but the baby elephant died due to the endothelial Herpes Virus. It is the prominent cause of death in young elephants. Mal’s placenta has also been to Baylor University, Texas, for research. These kinds of research help in developing a vaccine or a way to treat the disease.
The Asian Elephants are listed in CITES Appendix and are a quintessential flagship species (a species chosen to raise support for biodiversity conservation). The key aspect of Asian elephant conservation is preserving the busiest routes of elephants throughout the high vegetation. World Elephant Day has also been celebrated since 2012, on August 12, to educate the public about the problems that Asian elephants face. August is also declared as the month of Asian Elephant Awareness Month by zoos and conservation partners in the United States.
The population of Asian elephants has been decreasing due to fragmented habitats, human-elephant conflict, and poaching.
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