April, the pregnant giraffe from the Harpursville Animal Adventure Park in New York is in great conditions. She has captured the heart of millions around the globe as she was preparing herself to give birth to her fourth calf. April has a great appetite right now, according to the staff of the zoo.
Tens of thousands of fans have watched April and have waited for her to give birth to her fourth baby giraffe. April’s keepers identified significant baby movements in her belly at 3 a.m. and then again at 7 a.m., but as for Sunday afternoon, there is no baby yet. It would be the fifth calf for Oliver, April’s five-year-old mate.
“April continues to have us all on edge; when will it be – we just don’t know!” the zoo wrote. “All physical signs show we are ready for ‘launch sequence.’ So, we continue to patiently wait.” posted the Harpursville Animal Adventure Park on their facebook page.
The zoo is live-streaming April’s pregnancy
The zoo administrators announced that April and Oliver, are doing great as they wait for her calf to be born. It would be the fourth calf for April and the fifth for her mate. The zoo decided to live-stream her pen until she gives birth, allowing millions around the world to monitor and watch April’s fourth pregnancy. The YouTube live-stream has reached more than 50 million views since it started some weeks ago, in late February.
According to her keepers, April has a great appetite. The giraffe is demanding crunchy carrots before every vet visit.
“When our Vet stopped in today…April demands a “toll” before entering her stall for an exam!” posted the Harpursville Animal Adventure Park posted on its Facebook page late Thursday.
On Friday, April’s baby started kicking out. As well, the mom-to-be started showing significant baby movements in her belly at early hours this Sunday: first at 3 am and again at 7 am. However, the baby hasn’t been born as of Sunday afternoon, but vets believe everything is going to turn out just fine.
According to Jordan Patch, owner of Animal Adventure Park in rural Harpursville, the pregnancy of the beloved giraffe has been overwhelming for him and the staff. They take care of more than 200 animals. He also thanked people around the world for their interest in April’s calf. According to Patch, the response on social media has been resounding positive.
April has been kept warm due to extreme weather
This weekend has been all about extreme cold weather across the state, which is why, the giraffes has been kept inside, as an effort to keep April as warm as possible. The weather has also interrupted the signal of zoo’s popular Livestream for a while.
During the Livestream, April has shown followers her purple tongue, while they wait anxiously for the baby. According to Patch, this great response is due to the natural curiosity people have toward giraffes. He also said it is not just about live entertainment but a source of education. Giraffes’ pregnancy last 15 months. The new calf is expected to be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.
Source: NBCDFW