A Kenyan elephant has given birth to twins, a highly unusual occurrence, according to conservationists on Thursday.
The male and female twins were born to a mother named Bora, as confirmed by the conservation group Save the Elephants. Safari guides in Samburu Reserve, located in northern Kenya, made this rare sighting.
In videos shared, the newborns, just days old, are seen exploring their new surroundings under the close watch of Bora and their older sibling, who was born in 2017.
African elephants, known for having the longest pregnancy period of any land mammal, carry their young for nearly 22 months and typically give birth every four years.
“Twins are very uncommon in elephant populations, accounting for only about one percent of births,” said Iain Douglas-Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants, in a statement.
However, twin elephants often face challenges in survival. The last twins born in Samburu in 2006 did not survive beyond a few days. “Mothers frequently struggle to produce enough milk for both calves,” Douglas-Hamilton explained.
He added that the next few days would be critical for the new twins, though hopes are high for their survival.
Kenya is home to approximately 36,280 elephants, according to the nation’s first wildlife census conducted last year. This reflects a 12 percent increase since 2014, a time when poaching for ivory was more rampant.
Despite these gains, elephant populations across Africa remain under threat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reported last year that poaching and habitat destruction, particularly from agricultural expansion, have dramatically reduced elephant numbers.
In the past 50 years, the population of African savanna elephants has dropped by over 60 percent, leading to their reclassification as “endangered” on the IUCN’s Red List.
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