Mother nature is smiling today after a giraffe gave birth to twins, an extremely rare occasion.
The birth of twin giraffes is quite rare as statistics show that out of 8,600 normal births worldwide, there are less than 40 twin births that are still alive.
“One of the Maasai giraffes has given birth to twins, this is an extremely rare occurrence. We welcome the newborns with love,” the news was confirmed by Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala through his social media handles.
Kenya Wildlife Services further revealed the location of the birth, at the famous Nairobi National Park. The National Park is one of the few parks in the world that is located within a metropolis. It is located seven kilometres from the capital, Nairobi.
“Great News! 2022 is a year of double blessings. Twins are extremely rare for giraffes with the twinning rate being one in every 280,000,” revealed KWS.
The giraffe birth comes only months after an elephant gave birth to twins for the first time in nearly 15 years.
The twin calves, were spotted in Samburu National Park. Female elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals which lasts as long as 23 months, almost 2 years.
Of the live births among elephants, twins account for only 1%, a mother does not usually have enough milk for two calves.
Typically, they only give birth to one calf at a time, but throughout their whole lives, they can give birth to as many as 12 calves.
The birth of the twins, one male and one female, came as a surprise to research and protection organisation Save the Elephants, which monitors the family of elephants in the park.