An Asian elephant in central Thailand has given birth to a pair of rare twins, with keepers calling it a miracle.
When mother Chamchuri, 36, was not expecting to give birth to twins, staff at the Elephant Palace and Royal Corral in Ayutthaya thought the birth was complete when she gave birth to a male calf last Friday.
But as they cleaned the first calf and helped it stand up, they heard a loud noise and realized Chamchuli had given birth to a second calf, a female.
The second birth sent the mother into panic and carers had to restrain her to prevent her from stepping on the calf. A caretaker was injured in the melee.
Dramatic footage on social media showed a group of caregivers, known locally as mahouts, frantically separating a calf from its mother, with birth blood still visible on her hind legs.
According to the research group Save the Elephants, twins account for only one percent of elephant births, with male and female elephants even rarer.
Veterinarian Lardthongtare Meepan told the BBC: “When we pulled the second calf out of its mother, it stood up. We all cheered because it was a miracle.”
“We’ve always wanted to see elephant twins, but not everyone gets to see that because it’s not that common,” said Ms. Miphan, who grew up in the elephant park and is a twin herself. Mother.
Mahout Charin Somwang, 31, broke his leg while restraining his mother.
“I was so happy, I couldn’t feel the pain,” he told the BBC, adding that it was only when he was taken to hospital that he felt the extent of his injuries.
“It’s normal for a new mother to always try to kick or push the baby elephant… I was worried that she would hurt the baby, so I put myself in front and tried to block the contact between the mother and the baby,” Mr Somwang said. Worked at the park for 15 years.
In Thailand, the statue is considered sacred because the majority of the country’s population is Buddhist. They are also national symbols.
The Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Corral have been live streaming the twins on social media since their birth.
Park visitors, including children, will also be able to see the twins, but only if their shoes and hands are sanitized.
A sign near the nursery reads: “Please do not touch the baby elephants.”
According to Thai custom, they will be named 7 days after birth.
The female calf, which weighs 55 kilograms (121 pounds), is slightly smaller than usual and must stand on a stool while being fed with its mother. Her brother is heavier, weighing 60 kilograms.
The park claims its elephants were rescued from street beggars. In 1989, Thailand banned natural forest logging, resulting in mahouts working in the industry losing their jobs.
This forces them to have their elephants perform acrobatics for tourists in exchange for money. The practice was banned in 2010 – although it still happens rarely.
In Thailand’s former capital Ayutthaya, some elephants carry tourists to temples and historical sites.
Environmentalists oppose elephant rides because they believe it stresses the animals and amounts to cruelty.
An earlier report by World Animal Protection (WAP) said harsh methods were used to get wild elephants to carry humans on their backs. This process begins shortly after capture. It’s often called a “break-in” or “squeeze.”
In addition to Ayutthaya, the elephants have also become tourist attractions in the highland villages of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in the north, where visitors can feed them bananas, walk with them and bathe them in mud.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Asian elephant has become an endangered species due to poaching, illegal trade and habitat loss.
There are more than 3,000 elephants used in Thailand for tourism, more than anywhere else. Unlike other countries with captive populations, Thailand’s captive population is almost entirely privately owned.
Compared to African elephants, Asian elephants have smaller, rounded ears and a hunched back.
Meanwhile, tourists continue to flock to parks in Ayutthaya to visit the twin babies and await their names.
They walked in small pens filled with hay, rolling tree trunks on their mother’s legs.
“I’m always happy when I see elephants giving birth to babies,” said Mr. Somwang, a recovering mahout.
“It doesn’t have to be twins. Baby elephants always bring joy,” he said.
