Wild Elephant Mother Delivers Once-In-A-Lifetime Surprise

At Amboseli National Park in Kenya, nearly 1,600 elephants roam free with their families and friends.But recently, one family welcomed some new babies who were extra special. They’re so rare, in fact, that the park hasn’t seen this since 1980.Elephant twins.

A boy and a girl, the calves were born at the end of May to a 38-year-old female named Paru. She’s part of a 40-member family — and everyone, including the new babies’ big sister, has been pitching in to help look after them.Now 2 months old, the calves are continuing to defy the odds. Research suggests there is a less than 1 percent chance that mother elephants will give birth to twins. If they are born, it’s very likely one will die shortly after birth.

So far, the calves are doing very well, never straying too far from Mom or the rest of the family. They’re in the best place for staying safe, too; in the national park, local community members and rangers unite to protect the animals from the all-too-common risk of poaching.Thankfully, these babies get to live in the wild where they belong — but they are never too far away from rangers in case they need help.

And the rangers, who often feel like the elephants are family, couldn’t be more excited to watch the twins grow up.

The elephant twins with their mother, Paru | FACEBOOK/AMBOSELI TRUST FOR ELEPHANTS

“This is a very unique scenario in terms of conservation, particularly in the elephant population,” Kenneth Ole Nashu, a senior park warden, told ODN. “We are really proud, and we are now monitoring [to ensure] that the babies are in quite good health.”