Credit, AFP
Only 1% of elephants are born with twins.
A rare birth of twin elephants took place this week at a national sanctuary in northern Kenya.
The children, a male and female, along with their mother Bora were first spotted by a tour guide on a safari in Samburu Reserve over the weekend.
They are the second pair of twin cubs found by the local conservation organization Save the Elephants.
The charity says that twins account for just 1% of elephant births, with the last known case being reported in 2006.
The organization’s founder, Ian Douglas-Hamilton, told Reuters news agency it was a critical time for the puppies because the last set of twins born 15 years ago did not survive long after birth.
He said that often mothers do not have enough milk to feed both the babies.
Credit, AFP
Bora the elephant with her two newborn babies
African elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal. They nurse their young for about 22 months and give birth every four years.
Elephants are placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s endangered species list due to the ivory trade and significant habitat loss.
However, according to the country’s first wildlife census published last year, the elephant population in Kenya has increased in recent years.
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