Thai elephant gives birth to unique twins

A 36-year-old elephant gave birth to male and female calves in Thailand on June 7 night, in what is believed to be the world's first twin elephants of different sexes.

An official at Royal Elephant Kraal Village in Ayutthaya's Suan Prik subdistrict said that the male calf came out first, weighing about 80 kilograms.

The mother delivered the female calf, weighing 60 kg, 18 minutes later, to the surprise of surrounding veterinarians and caretakers. The two are the elephant's fourth and fifth offspring.

A caretaker was slightly injured when he tried to catch the second calf. He was later taken to a hospital for a checkup as a precaution, the official said.

In November, the birth of twin elephants in Kenya amazed many people worldwide. Both the calves were female. Twins account for about 1 percent of elephant births, according to media reports.

Male-female elephant twins are even more rare. The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace& Royal Kraal, home to the newborns, said that it was a first for the area, while a statement from the Thai government said the pachyderms were the third such pair in the world.

Laithongrian Meephan, owner of the establishment and president of the Phra Kochaban Foundation for elephant care, said on June 8 that the area had witnessed some twin births in the past but the calves were either both males or females.

The latest twins are the area's 94th and 95th births in 27 years of operation, he said.

Their father is 29-year-old elephant Plai Siam, which has been a star in several cultural shows in the area, Laithongrian said, adding that this is the mother elephant's fourth pregnancy.

"Twin birthing is one of the miracles in this auspicious year, when His Majesty the King will celebrate his 72nd birthday on July 28," he said.

"We are praying that both babies are healthy and grow up fast."

THE NATION