Pinnawala elephant orphanage records first ever twin-babies

Surangi and twins as of August 31, 2021

Pandu the robust elephant who is the father of three elephant calves was born on May 5, 2004, in Chettikulam, Vavuniya and brought to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage on September 26, 2004. From there on Pandu was living among the elephant herd at Pinnawala.   
Pandu is 17-years-old and a young and robust elephant with good looks for any she elephant.   
Surangi - a she elephant had come into the orphanage at Pinnawala in 1997 from Suranglagama, Trincomalee. Surangi was born on November 26, 1996, that is four years older than Pandu.  

But love has no age and from the time Pandu was brought into Pinnawala, this young robust male seems to have had an eye on Surangi according to the keepers at the orphanage. They seem to have been cuddling together during baths and had been quite close to each other.  On May 24, 2009, Surangi gave birth to a calf, now named Kannaka.  
Time passed and then on August 21 2021, Surangi gave birth to another calf around 4.30 a.m. in the morning, when veterinary surgeon Dr Bandara was at hand. After the delivery and when Dr Bandara was to go off, he noticed some peculiarity and waited for a few more hours when the second delivery of the twin calf occurred around 10 a.m. 

This created history as this was the first time in the annals of the elephant orphanage that a twin birth had occurred. Pinnawala elephant orphanage has in its records 73 births during its existence of 46 years when the opening of the orphanage on February 16, 1975, on the suggestion of the then Minister and P.B.G. Kalugala who was also the Parliamentarian at Kegalle.   
At the opening, Minister Kalugala said that no elephants from this orphanage should be given except for the Sri Dalada Maligawa needs.   
The Orphanage was opened with five orphaned elephants Vijaya, Neela, Matali, Kumari. and Kadira. Vijaya and Kadira are deceased. Now there are 84 elephants, with 44 females and 38 males.  

The twins and the other born earlier to Surangi were officially named at a traditional ceremony with the State Minister Kanaka Herath as the Chief Guest at Pinnawala on January 11, 2022. The Maha Sangha chanted Seth Pirith and the names were registered by the Director in Charge of the orphanage Ms S. Rajapakse.  To add further protection to these calves, the Basnayake Nilame of Aluthnuwara Devale and also the Basnayake Nilame of Kandy Mahen Ratwatte was present to give blessings to the playful claves, who were named Sujjana, Dissa and Neelamini.