Elephant gives birth to twins: Conservationists say, it's rare event

Conservation group, save the elephants stated that, twins were, one male and another female, were born to a mother named Bora. They were initially spotted by the Lucky tourists guide on safari drive during the weekend in Samburu reserve in northern Kenya.

In Kenya, an elephant has given birth to twins, it is an extremely rare event, conservationists stated on Thursday.

Conservation group, save the elephants stated that, twins were, one male and another female, were born to a mother named Bora. They were initially spotted by the Lucky tourists guide on safari drive during the weekend in Samburu reserve in northern Kenya.

Video reveal that, the days -where in the new born are getting accustomed to their savannah surroundings with their doting mother as well as older sibling. Bora's 1st calf was born in the year,2017.

African elephants do have the largest gestation period when compared to any living mammal, carrying their young for about 22 months and they tend to give birth every four years.

Twins are rarely encountered in elephant populations and form nearly 1% of births, save the elephants founder lain Douglas Hamilton, said in a statement.

However, the elephants' twins do not often fare so well. The last pair of twins born in Samburu, in the year,2006 failed to survive more than a few days.

Most of the time, mother elephant do not have enough milk to support two calves.

The next few days would be touch and go for the new twins, but everyone must keep their fingers crossed for their survival.

There are an estimated 36,280 elephants in Kenya, as per the nation's first ever national wildlife census conducted last year.

The figure represented a 12 % increase in population numbers recorded in the year, 2014, while killing for ivory was higher.

The international Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)has warned last year, that poaching and habitat destruction, especially due to land conversion for agriculture, had and devastating effect on elephant numbers in Africa as a whole.

The population of African Savanna elephants have plunged by minimum 60% in the last half century, prompting their reclassification as endangered as per the latest updated IUCN, Red list of threatened species.