Twin Tuskers Survive Birth In Thailand

Twin elephants are exceedingly rare and usually don't survive birth due to nutritional stress on the mother.

The world’s first ever male twin elephants on record surviving birth were welcomed by a cheering crowd in Thailand’s northeastern province of Surin, according to The Nation newspaper.

A veterinarian at Surin Elephant Hospital told the paper the twins were strong and each weighed 155-175 pounds.

The unnamed male pachyderms are the second set of twins for Thailand.

In August 1993, a set of females named Phang Jum and Phang Jim were born 15 minutes apart under a bridge in Kanchanaburi province.

Such twin births are rare and exceedingly dangerous for the mother’s health, according to zoo officials.

The owners of the mother of the twin males has been urged to provide supplimental nutrition to ensure she can provide enough milk for the twins.

There were about 100,000 elephants in what is now Thailand a century ago. Their numbers have since fallen to less than 4,000, with most now working in the tourism industry.

Photo: Surin Elephant Hospital