Giving birth to twin calves is rare among elephants. In Amboseli National Park, a mother elephant has given birth to twins. The last reported case of twins in the reserve was in 2006 however, they didn’t survive.
Amboseli National Park is commonly known for its large elephant herds and views of immense Mount Kilimanjaro, across the border in Tanzania. It is located in the southern part of Kenya.
Congratulations! to Samburu National Reserve on the birth of an Elephant’s twin calves ❤. #MagicalKenya 🇰🇪 pic.twitter.com/1lOkhUcVoY
— Hon. Najib Balala (@tunajibu) January 20, 2022
According to Save the Elephants, a conservation NGO, the birth of elephant twins is rare in Amboseli, and once it happens the calves usually don’t survive in Samburu as they lose condition so quickly.
Congratulations to Bora from the Winds on giving birth to TWO elephant calves (male and female) this past weekend. Twin births like this are rare – in fact we haven’t seen twins in the park for decades!
Photos by Jane Wynyard and Bernard Lesirin pic.twitter.com/gWke38yyOm
— Save the Elephants (@ste_kenya) January 18, 2022
“It is rare for a twin birth of elephants and they barely survive in Amboseli.” Said Save the Elephant.
However, elephant poaching has been at its peak for the past year, according to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya has recorded a near 96 percent decline in poaching, with more than 386 elephants being lost to poaching in 2013 compared to 11 elephants poached in 2020.
Compiled by Natasha Nthenya