Syracuse, N.Y. — Twin elephant babies born at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse last month need names, and the zoo wants your help.
A naming competition begins today and will run until 6:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a news release from Onondaga County.
People will have the chance to choose among four names for each twin through an online survey.
The twins were a surprise because only 1% of elephant births worldwide are twins. County officials called the calves the “miracle” twins.
In elephants, ultrasounds must be done internally, through the rectum, and thus can’t show the full image the way human imaging can, said zoo Director Ted Fox.
“We get images of a little bit of the spine, or the top of the head, or some of trunk. Mostly you’re just trying to detect that the pregnancy is moving along as you want it to,” Fox said.
“There probably was a slight chance that you’d see two trunks, but it would have to be at the exact right time,” he explained.
The second calf was born 10 hours after the first on Oct. 24.
The zoo’s elephant population rose to eight after the birth of the twins.
Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach staff writer Anne Hayes at ahayes@syracuse.com.