Good things come in pairs at Pongola Game Reserve

With their oversized ears and miniature trunks, a baby elephant is a wonderful sight. But it gets better. Pongola Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal was the site of the birth of twins. Curve, a 31 year old cow gave birth to the pair in early December 2014.

Twins happen so rarely that they are almost never seen by researchers. Studies suggest that only 0.5% of pregnant cows carry twins. And even if the twins both survive birth, the likelihood of them surviving to adulthood is remote, at best.

No one knows the sex of the calves just yet but Curve, named for her curved tusk, has already given birth to three males. The twins join two more pairs born in the Kruger National Park in 2002 and 2006, both pairs to the same mother, MaMerle. Happily MaMerle calves have all beaten the odds and when they were last identified in December had survived past a year old.

Efforts are being made to provide both the twins and Curve with a stress-free environment to minimise the odds of mortality.

“This is the best approach. Mortality of one of the twins usually occurs as the increasing demand for milk by two calves cannot be met by the mother and the less dominant of the two calves usually cannot gain access to its share,” says Dr. Ian Whyte, retired Projects Manager at the National Parks Board.

Calves weigh around 120kg each at birth. It’s a mammoth task carrying two calves around for nearly 22 months!