Breaking News: At least 10 feared to have drowned in Makueni river
One of twin baby elephants born in Samburu reserve starves to death
Bora with her twin calves at the Samburu National Reserve in January this year. One of the calves may have died due to extreme droughts ravaging Samburu County, according to conservationists at the reserve.
What you need to know:
- The twins were born to Bora from the Winds family in January this year
- The calves were last seen alive in April outside the reserve
- Bora, the matriarch, was recently spotted by the monitoring team from Save the Elephants outside Samburu National Reserve, but with only one of her twins - the male
One of the twin elephants born in Samburu may have starved to death due to the prolonged drought ravaging the region, the research and protection organisation Save the Elephants has revealed.
The twins were born to Bora from the Winds family in January this year.
Bora, the matriarch, was recently spotted by the monitoring team from Save the Elephants outside Samburu National Reserve, but with only one of her twins - the male. The calves were last seen alive in April outside the reserve.
The severe drought and overgrazing by livestock have led to a catastrophic shortage of food for elephants and other wildlife in the region.
"We are sad to report that one of the twins born to Bora from the Winds family this year appears to have died during the drought," Save the Elephants said in a statement.
"Bora was recently spotted by our monitoring team outside Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya, but with only one of her twins. Our team searched for the female calf but were unable to locate her."
International headlines
The twin calves were first discovered in the reserve in January and made international headlines. But there were concerns that the twins, rarely encountered in wild elephant herds, would not survive.
Save the Elephants said many elephants have died as a result of ongoing droughts and expressed fears about Bora's remaining male calf. They also said researchers will monitor the calf’s health and progress.
"Many species have died but we will keep an eye on Bora and the surviving twin," the group said.
Rarely do elephants give birth to twins. Experts say an elephant can give birth to a calf 12 times in its lifetime.
The chance of an elephant having twins is around one per cent, according to the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA).
African elephants are pregnant for 22 months and Asian ones for 18-22 months, making it the longest gestation period of all mammals.
Save the Elephants says jumbos give birth every four years. Although they can live for between 60-70 years, they produce four or five babies during their lifetime.
