The Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, N.Y., made history last October when an Asian elephant named Mali gave birth to “miracle twins.”
Not only are both male twins thriving, they’re acting as you’d expect any young brothers to act by scuffling occasionally over trivial matters.
The accompanying footage shows the twins – named Yaad and Tukada – fighting over veggies tossed to them by keepers.
The twins fight over vegetables, too! By Yaad preventatively trying to keep his brother away from his lettuce he only made Tukada more interested. #Syracusezoo pic.twitter.com/4UoB0XyKqz
— Rosamond Gifford Zoo (@SyracuseZoo) August 17, 2023
“The twins fight over vegetables, too!” the zoo stated in a tweet. “By Yaad preventatively trying to keep his brother away from his lettuce he only made Tukada more interested.”
In the footage, Yaad keeps attempting to shove or box out Takuda to protect a clump of lettuce that he apparently was saving for himself.
The roughhousing seemed playful, and it’s certain that the pachyderm siblings were adequately fed.
Yaad and Takuda were born on October 24, 2002, and the zoo explained why they were described as miracle twins in a news release announcing their births:
“Elephant twins comprise less than 1% of elephant births worldwide. Of twin pregnancies, twins are often stillborn or are too weak to survive. Sometimes the mother elephant does not survive.”
The calves weighed 220 and 237 pounds at birth.
–Image is a video screen shot