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Rare twin elephants born in Thailand

The birth of the second calf, a female, has surprised even her own mum.

The mother, 36-year-old Chamchuri, was not expected to deliver twins and when she gave birth to a male calf last Friday, staff at the Ayutthaya Elephant Palace and Royal Kraal, had thought the delivery was done. Dramatic footage on social media showed a crowd of caretakers - known locally as mahouts - frantically separating the female calf from the mother, with blood from the birth still visible on her hind legs. The Asian elephant is an endangered species due to poaching, illegal trade and habitat loss, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

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