Two baby elephants were born on the same day in Laos

Photo: Two baby elephants were born in Xayaboury province on January 26, with both calves female.

A jumbo cause for celebration

In an amazing twist of fate, two baby elephants were born on the same day in Thongmixay district, Xayaboury province.


Both births occurred on January 26, with both of the calves female. The births happened at night time, the usual time for elephants to give birth.

The two proud mothers are domesticated elephants working in the logging industry; Mae Boupheng, aged 33, and Mae Seup, aged 16.

Both elephants were observed by ElefantAsia's Mobile Veterinary Unit in December 2009, when they were 20 months pregnant.

Dr Bertrand Bouchard, a veterinarian working with ElefantAsia, said “This is an extremely fortunate and exciting occasion. Both the female elephants must have become pregnant the same week, or even on the same day. Both elephant mums are doing very well, and their babies are thriving.”

Interestingly, the male that inseminated the domesticated female elephants was a wild elephant.

The mahouts of the domesticated females saw at least one wild male in the forests while working and wanted their females to become pregnant.

After work and at night time they let their female elephants forage in the forest where they knew the wild male elephant was also foraging. It was during these occasions that the two female elephants became pregnant.

Many domesticated elephants become pregnant with the help of wild males, or bulls. Thongmixay is a region well-known for its rich cultural links with domesticated elephant ownership.

Elephant owners in the area have extensive knowledge of female elephant oestrus cycles, and how to care for pregnant elephants. In this case, both Mae Boupheng and Mae Seup were allowed to stop working nine months before giving birth.

This vital time lets them relax and eat well during the final stages of their 22 month gestation period. Thanks to the cultural significance of the Asian elephant, baby elephants are welcomed into the community, and are cared for almost the same as a normal family member.

ElefantAsia is extremely happy with the interrelationship between wild and domesticated elephants in this region of Laos.

“We know of at least 10 other pregnant domesticated elephants in the area thanks to wild bulls,” says Dr Bouchard.

“Without a healthy wild elephant population, there will be a shortage of domesticated elephants for people to work with. This proves the need to protect both populations.”

In a project spanning the entire domesticated elephant population of Laos, ElefantAsia has microchipped both elephant mothers. The Mobile Vet Unit will visit both babies and give them a health check-up in 2-3 months during the next mission to their village.

According to ElefantAsia Communications Officer Ms Ingrid Suter, elephants are pregnant for 22 months. Babies weigh 100 kilograms when born. In ideal conditions a female can have about 7-8 babies in one lifetime.

She said last year there was only one birth and 10 deaths amongst the elephant population in Laos.

Posted by samakomlao on 9:24 AM. Filed under Weird . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Feel free to leave a response