Rare twin elephants in Thailand receive monks’ blessings

Chamchuri with her newborn elephant twins female, left, and male, right, in Ayutthaya province, Thailand (Nathathaida Adireksara/AP)

Buddhist monks in Thailand have blessed twin baby elephants, one male and the other female, a week after their rare birth came close to being a tragedy.

Their mother, Chamchuri, gave birth to the two on the night of June 7 at a camp in Thailand’s ancient capital Ayutthaya, a popular tourist destination 80 km (50 miles) north of Bangkok.