A small pair of trunks
Elephant twins in TV debut
ELEPHANT twins have been born in Kenya for only the fifth known time – and Sir David Attenborough’s cameras were the first to ever capture the spectacle.
Calves Alana and Atlas are seen enjoying a muddy romp in tomorrow’s Dynasties II.
But Sir David warns that caring for both will be a challenge “almost impossible” for mum Angelina to manage, putting both babies at risk.
The twins, blissfully unaware of the huge burden they have created by needing 10 litres of milk each a day, spend their days playing with sticks and goading wild buffalo.
Rare
Producers of the BBC One natural history series were thrilled when they discovered that Angelina, who they were following in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, had given birth to son Atlas and – four days later – daughter Alana. Sir David said: “Having twins is so rare that it’s only been recorded five times in Kenya.
“Although this might seem like very good news, calves need so much milk and care that raising twins is almost impossible.
“There’s now a very real chance that Angelina could end up losing both babies.”
The elephant family had recently lost 10 calves in five years. And the film contains heartbreaking scenes as Angelina’s milk dries up and Atlas is so exhausted he cannot lift his head. But producer Simon Blakeney said: “The [clan] lost their matriarch just before we started filming and Angelina was one of the more senior females. When young are born into a group, they will all work together to bring them up. So Angelina had help from the family.” ●●Dynasties II is on BBC One at 8pm tomorrow