Twins - At Last...

Paru and her twins

It has been a long wait. Thirty-seven years and nine months to be precise, but we have finally recorded our second set of twins in the study. 

Out in the field during the Easter weekend, Cynthia was stopped by a KWS vehicle, whose team asked her if elephants ever had twins. They had seen two small, same-sized calves following a single female on the way into the swamp. Cynthia explained how rare it is (about 1% of births, but more rare in Amboseli), and promised we would keep an eye out. Often similar-aged calves follow the same female, particularly if she is mother to one and grandmother to the other, so spotting twins for sure means being 100% certain both calves belong to the same mother. Since grandmothers sometimes double-suckle with their daughters (i.e. both females permit both calves to suckle), even a suckling bout isn't enough to determine maternity 100%. We kept looking for the possible twins after this first report but we didn't know who we were looking for and many families were returning to the Park after the rains.

After almost a month, Norah and Katito found Paru from the PA family with two same-aged calves alongside her. Spending more than two hours with them in order to be sure, they confirmed these were indeed twins. As with our first (famous) twins, Equinox and Eclipse, these new twins are non-identical, with one male and one female calf. Also as Cynthia observed for Equinox and Eclipse, the male calf was trying to prevent the female from suckling. Despite this both calves looked healthy and we are confident Paru has a great chance to raise them successfully, since it has been such a good year and she is a big and experienced female.

	At sunset, five-year-old Padua guards the twins, almost invisible in the tall grass

Paru's older calf Padua is a very attentive big sister and the twins are fat, playful and healthy. Over time the competition for suckling is also resolving, which happened for the previous twins as well. We are delighted with these special additions to our study population, and we look forward to watching them grow up wild and free in Amboseli.

Since 2002 ATE has supported talented young people from the Amboseli Ecosystem with scholarships because we believe that educational empowerment is key for sustainable human-elephant co-existence. Amboseli has recently seen dramatic land-use changes and lifestyle changes among the human inhabitants of the ecosystem, which in turn affect the interface between people and wildlife. 

We offer educational support at all levels, but our high school scholarships are particularly focused on girls; although attitudes are changing, a culture that traditionally favours boys had been preferentially educating male children when we began our scholarships. We know that women are key for building sustainability in communities, so we aimed to redress the balance and allow girls the same opportunities as their brothers. We currently support 10 students, covering their tuition fees and purchasing of books, uniforms shoes and toiletries where families cannot afford these basic necessities.

Our University Scholarships include both undergraduate and graduate levels, supporting tuition fees and living expenses. Many of our graduates have enjoyed considerable success and we are proud to have funded their efforts.

 Above: Everline Sialo at Kabarak University  L-R: Mercy, Sylvi, and Everline

When we have a particularly bright an d  dedicated students, taking them through to University becomes a priority. Everline Sialo has been under our Scholarship Program for both Secondary and University for exactly this reason. She is a bright and hard-working student, paving the way for a promising future. We recently received a heartwarming letter of gratitude from her, which we felt we had to share.

" I came from a poor background where my parents were financially unstable. We are raised in a community where education for girls isn't prioritized. Women are viewed as objects of wealth accumulation through early marriages in exchange of a lump sum ... dowry. Many precious girls are married young, not given the chance for a brighter future through education.

I was able to be one of the beneficiaries from ATE that funded me through my secondary and university education. Throughout that period I pursued my studies with eagerness ..., and without the worry of any kind of financial problem. I am hugely grateful to the elephant research project for they have really shaped and turned my life towards taking a prosperous direction of success...  I'd like to express my countless gratitude to the whole family of Amboseli Trust for Elephants, particularly to Dr. Moss. ATE has opened the door for me to become who I wanted to be, helping me to achieve my dreams. Were it not for you I could be already m arried off years ago... I am looking forward to further my studies to masters level under your great sponsorship so as to bring change to my community. "

Our Scholarship Program costs us an average of $20,000 each year, which is no small undertaking for a small charity. We raise these funds entirely from your donations, which is a great investment for people and elephants.  If you are interested in supporting a student in their entirety or a portion of their scholarship costs please contact us on [email protected].  To watch a short film about our scholarship program C lick on this Link .