Twin Asian elephant calves were born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York, in what the zoo is calling a “miracle.”
The two big bundles of joy were born on Oct. 24 to parents Mali and Doc, and are both doing well.
“This is truly an historic moment for the zoo and our community,” Onondaga County executive Ryan McMahon said in a press release. “I couldn’t be prouder of our exceptional animal care team, the support of the veterinary staff and their tremendous dedication to Mali and the twins.”
The birth of the twins apparently came as a huge surprise to the animal care staff, due to the “sheer improbability” of twin elephant births as well as the “complexity of elephant ultrasounds,” the zoo said.
Ten hours after Mali’s first male calf was born, weighing in at 220 pounds, a second male calf arrived, weighing 237 pounds.
The zoo’s animal care team has been “monitoring the twins around the clock” for the past two weeks to “ensure both are thriving.”
The zoo shared several cute Instagram photos of the new arrivals, who are still sporting some baby fuzz and seem to be clinging close to their mom for now.
Less than 1% of elephant births worldwide are twins, the zoo said, and when twins do occur, the calves are often stillborn or do not survive long after birth.
“To date, there has never been a recorded case of surviving elephant twins in the United States,” the zoo said. “The few successful twin births have only taken place in their range countries in Asia and Africa and nowhere else in the world.”
Visitors can catch a glimpse of this adorable duo at the zoo’s Helga Beck Asian Elephant Preserve daily from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. and from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m., as well as indoors through windows in the Pachyderm Pavilion.