'It's a miracle': Extremely rare twin elephant calves born in Thailand

It is being described as nothing short of a miracle after an elephant in Thailand gave birth to a set of twins, a male and a female, a rare occurrence among elephants. Chamchuri, the mother elephant, gave birth on June 7, and to the surprise of the caretakers at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, she had two calves.

Third such pair in the world 

Twin elephant births are rare, and male-female twins are even more so. The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, home to the newborns, says that it was a first for the province, while a statement from the Thai government said they were the third such pair in the world.

Also read: Elephant Gives Birth To Twin Calves In Karnataka's Bandipur Reserve

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Took everyone by surprise

The male calf was born first, and 18 minutes later, the second offspring, a female, was also born, taking everyone, including the mother elephant and the caretakers, by surprise.

"We heard somebody shout, 'There is another baby being born!'" said veterinarian Lardthongtare Meepan.

Mother nearly attacked the calf

However, things could have taken a tragic turn if not for the timely intervention of a mahout, who quickly moved in to prevent the mother from attacking her newborn and took a blow to his ankle in return.

"The mother attacked the baby because she had never had twins before—it's very rare," said Michelle Reedy, the director of the Elephant Stay organization.

Also read: Elephant Herds Mourn, Bury Their Dead Calves, Finds Study

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Why mother elephants attack calves

According to the mahout, Charin Somwang, who broke his leg when he stepped between the mother and her offspring to prevent the tragedy, it is normal for a mother elephant to step on and gently prod her newborn after birth to check if it is alive. However, the second baby, the female, appeared too weak to sustain that kind of treatment, he said.

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Twins get blessing from monks

A week old now, the twin calves and their mother are said to be in good health. On Friday, they received blessings from monks from Wat Traimit in Bangkok. Afterward, the calves were presented with a tray of bananas and cartons of milk.

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