South African wildlife officials are celebrating a rare joyous event after a 31-year-old elephant gave birth to twins, Grind TV reported.
Scientists say less than 1 percent of elephant births result in twins. An elephant named Curve defied those odds when she gave birth to twins on Saturday at the Pongola Game Reserve, located in South Africa's northern Kwa-Zulu Natal province.
It's "an incredibly rare natural occurrence," wildlife experts said, according to Grind TV.
Experts also said it's even rarer for twin baby elephants to grow into adulthood, which is why reserve officials are monitoring the family while keeping their distance to avoid stressing the animals out.
"Curve needs a stress free environment to beat the odds," elephant specialist Ian Whyte said in a statement.
"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," Whyte said.
Curve, named for the shape of her tusks, was most likely impregnated 22 months ago by a 44-year-old male who unfortunately died in 2013 before the twins were born, Grind TV reported. Curve also gave birth to three male elephants before her newest offspring.
Whyte noted there have been other local twin pregnancies that were successful.
"One rather famous Matriarch in Kruger dubbed MaMerle produced a set of twins in 2002, both of which survived to post weaning age," Whyte said of South Africa's Kruger National Park, "and she then produced a second set in 2006, both of which survived to more than a year old when she was last seen."
