The night of Jun. 7, 2024, in Thailand's Ayutthaya province, veterinarians and caretakers gathered around Pang Jamjuree.

The expecting mother — a 36-year-old elephant — would soon be making history.

Surprise delivery

It wasn't Pang's first time giving birth, as Asia News Networks, reported that it was the mother's fourth pregnancy.

This time, the father was a 29-year-old elephant named Plai Siam, who has been a star in several cultural shows in the province.

Pang's first delivery came in the form of an 80kg male calf, as told by an official at Royal Elephant Kraal Village in Ayutthaya’s Suan Prik sub-district.

But he wasn't going to face the world alone.

His sister emerged 18 minutes later, in all her 60kg glory.

Her appearance, though welcomed, came as a surprise to Pang's guardians, said The Nation.

She injured a caretaker slightly when he tried to catch her, but the animal was fine.

Elephant twins are rare

Elephant twins are an incredibly rare occurrence, accounting for only about 1 per cent of elephant births, according to ABC News.

A pair of twins were born in Kenya in 2023, but they were both female.

Laithongrian Meephan, owner of the establishment and president of Phra Kochaban Foundation for elephant care, said they'd witnessed some twin births in the past, but never of different sexes.

The twins born on Jun. 7 were the kraal’s 94th and 95th births in 27 years of operation.

“Twin birthing is one of the miracles in this auspicious year, when His Majesty the King will celebrate his 72nd birthday on Jul. 28,” said Laithongrian.

“We are praying that both babies are healthy and grow up fast.”

Top images via The Nation