In one of the rarest incidents wild mother elephant gave birth to twins in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve: Soon after the birth, the two toddlers joined their mother back in the herd
An elephant giving birth to twins is one of the rarest incidents. On April 18, a wild mother elephant gave birth to twins in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR). Elephant expert R Sukumar said as per records, only four such twin births have been recorded since 1926.
|
As per reports, on the day when the cow elephant gave birth to the calves, the tourists and staffers spotted her in a herd of elephants. She was in labour and struggling to give birth close to the old ticket counter. To ease the pain, she went into a small water body where she gave birth to the calves. When the tourists learned about the birth, they gathered close to the water body.
BTR director Dr. Ramesh Kumar said, “The wild cow elephant, which was still in postdelivery pain, was petrified to come out of the water as a large crowd had gathered. Everyone could see two small heads floating in the water. Fearing that they would drown as all three were not coming out of the water, we cleared the crowd and guarded the area. After a long wait, feeling safe, the mother elephant emerged from the water body and then helped her calves out.”
 Dr Ramesh - Soon after the birth, the two toddlers joined their elephant mother back in the herd |
Soon after the birth, the two toddlers joined their mother back in the herd. Dr. Ramesh said as of now, they were not tracking the newly born calves as they did not want to disturb or add pressure on the newborns.
According to conservationists, such twins have to be monitored closely. R Sukumar, an elephant expert, said only one percent of elephant births in captivity are twins. The percentage in the wild is still unknown.
On May 21, 1971, a cow elephant Devaki had given birth to Vijay and Sujay.
|
The second such birth was recorded in Bandipur in the 1980s when Ashwin and Bharini were born. The third was in Tamil Nadu, and the recent one recorded was in Mudumalai. Because of their large bodies and long gestation periods, it is rare for elephants to give birth to more than one calf.
 Twin brothers Sujay and Vijay walk down a road passing through the woods, after grazing out in the wild, and playing in the intermittent downpour, all day long |
References:
Support Us
Satyagraha was born from the heart of our land, with an undying aim to unveil the true essence of Bharat. It seeks to illuminate the hidden tales of our valiant freedom fighters and the rich chronicles that haven't yet sung their complete melody in the mainstream.
While platforms like NDTV and 'The Wire' effortlessly garner funds under the banner of safeguarding democracy, we at Satyagraha walk a different path. Our strength and resonance come from you. In this journey to weave a stronger Bharat, every little contribution amplifies our voice. Let's come together, contribute as you can, and champion the true spirit of our nation.
 |  |  |
| ICICI Bank of Satyaagrah | Razorpay Bank of Satyaagrah | PayPal Bank of Satyaagrah - For International Payments |
If all above doesn't work, then try the LINK below:
DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text. The website also frequently uses non-commercial images for representational purposes only in line with the article. We are not responsible for the authenticity of such images. If some images have a copyright issue, we request the person/entity to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will take the necessary actions to resolve the issue.
