…. and Brian Almeida and yours truly were there yesterday 15th July to snap the herd from as close as one is permitted …. though mother elephant and a coterie of aunts made it difficult for amateurs with ordinary cameras to secure a clear shot of the twins huddled together under the mother’s broad back and tummy
ONE: Saumya Agrawal in article entitled “Double the Joy: …,” in TimesOwnNews, 9 July 2020
A pair of baby elephants who were spotted feeding from the same mother could be a rare set of twins, officials at a Sri Lankan national park speculated on Wednesday.
The baby elephants and their mother were spotted in the Minneriya sanctuary about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north-east of Colombo. They were grazing with a herd of about a dozen elephants. The rangers estimated that the young calves are three to four weeks old.
Officials have observed the pair of baby elephants from a distance and are confident enough to “say they are twins,” Department of Wildlife Conservation Director-General Tharaka Prasad told AFP.
The young tuskers were also photographed feeding from the same mother on Monday by renowned conservationist Sumith Pilapitiy. The conservationist also believes that the two baby elephants were twins.
Prasad said that the rangers were carrying out DNA tests on the herd’s dung to confirm their speculation. He added that if the results match, this would be the first time that wildlife officials on the island nation have sighted twin elephants along with their mother.
IFS officer Susanta Nanda posted a picture of the elephants with their mother and wrote, “Double the joy. A pair of baby elephants feeding from the same mother have been spotted in a Sri Lanka which could be a rare set of twins….”
Netizens were delighted to see the photo of the baby elephants with their mother. One user said, “Lovely.” While another wrote, “So cutest.”
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TWO: Item in the Indian Express, 8 July 2020, with this title “Sri Lanka for the first time records birth of twin elephant calves: Official
Sri Lanka for the first time has recorded the birth of twin elephant calves in the country’s Minneriya National Park, a senior official said on Wednesday According to various research papers, elephants are less than one per cent likely to give birth to twins. It’s even less likely both calves survive into adulthood.
“For the first time in Sri Lanka has recorded the birth of twin elephant calves,” Tharaka Prasad, the Director of Wildlife Health at Department of Wildlife Conservation, said. He said the calves are three to four weeks old as of now.
Sumith Pilapitiya, a prominent wildlife research enthusiast, said this is the first time Sri Lanka has recorded the birth of twin elephant calves. “We have been observing a group of elephants during the last few days, and yesterday through observations we were able to confirm there is a set of twins born to an adult female. This is the first time this has been recorded in the country,” he said. He said the authorities were taking all measures to protect the twin baby elephants and their mother.
Fantastic