An Asian elephant in Ayutthaya, central Thailand, astonished zoo keepers when she gave birth to a “miracle” pair of twins.
When Chamchuri, the 36-year-old mother, gave birth to a male calf last Friday, staff at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal thought the job was done.
But the mother was not finished and when zookeepers heard a loud thud they realised she had given birth to a female calf as well.
Chamchuri needed to be helped by the staff throughout the procedure but the ordeal of restraining the elephant led to one keeper breaking his leg.
"I was so happy, I couldn’t feel the pain," Charin Somwang said of the incident.
"It’s normal that the new mother will always try to kick or push the baby.
“I was afraid that she might [hurt] the baby elephant, so I put myself forward and tried to block the mother from the smaller one.”
Earlier this week, researchers discovered that elephants have personalised calls for addressing each other, suggesting that they have unique names.
Twins are rarely encountered in elephant populations and account for only around one per cent of births, according to Save the Elephants.
Lardthongtare Meepan, of the elephant palace, told the BBC: "Once we pulled the second baby elephant out, away from the mother, the baby stood up.
“We were all cheering because it’s a miracle.”
Ms Meepan, herself a mother of twins, added: “We’ve always wanted to see elephant twins but not everyone can see this because it doesn’t happen a lot.”
Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal will name the twins in seven days, in accordance with culture in Thailand - where elephants are considered sacred.
The sanctuary has posed photos online of the twins with the younger female needing to use a stool to feed with her mother.
