Watch Animal Adventure Park Cam Live As April The Giraffe Prepares To Birth Calf

April the Giraffe is a 15-year-old pregnant Reticulated giraffe preparing to give birth live streaming online from the Animal Adventure Park (AAP). Located in Harpursville, New York, April became a viral sensation after the Inquisitr first announced park owner Jordan Patch had established a live cam in her giraffe stall. Over the past months, April has enjoyed a level of internet fame and celebrity status only a few achieve. She has been featured on major broadcast news networks, is sponsored by Toys R Us, and has become the most outspoken advocate for giraffe conservation in history. She has accomplished all this while in the comfort of her heated stall where she journeys to active labor as the world watches. If you haven’t seen April’s live cam, you can watch it 24/7 in the video player below. Please be aware, once April’s calf is born, according to the latest Animal Adventure Park news updates, the cam will stop live streaming and will switch to video updates posted every few day.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzJSe9QnMPV8gadzivVITOH4gDmTDaoHq

This is April’s fourth calf and the first for her 5-year-old mate Oliver “Ollie.” You may see Ollie on the live cam as his stall is adjacent to April’s. The giraffes are separated throughout April’s pregnancy, labor, and delivery for her own safety. Though April is an affectionate giraffe that has an amazing and trusting bond with her keepers and AAP staff, Oliver is a pure bull. He wants to mate then move on to the next giraffe and is very aggressive. April and Ollie are the only giraffes at Animal Adventure Park, and the calf will not stay at the park permanently. Once the calf is old enough and health is assured, the calf will be relocated to a zoo with a giraffe conservation-breeding program.

There are several changes April must undergo before active labor begins. There has been much confusion surrounding April’s due date and when we can expect her to give birth to her calf. The confusion stems from giraffes’ high fertility rates. Giraffes can conceive every 14-17 days, indicating they can get pregnant approximately twice in one month. If giraffes mate multiple times over a three month period, it would be virtually impossible to determine when conception occurred as there would be six possible due dates. Instead of having exact due dates, there are birthing windows. According to a video update provided by the Animal Adventure Park owner, they first observed mating behavior between Ollie and April in October 2015. Giraffes have a gestational period of 15 months so they expected a baby calf to be born somewhere between January and February. That time frame came and went and April remains pregnant. It is more likely that April conceived in December 2015 or January 2016 based upon her current physical condition.

As a giraffe’s due date can be confusing, a birthing window based upon physical changes is used to determine when active labor should begin. There are many physical and behavioral changes April might experience before active labor starts and she gives birth to her calf. Many of these changes have already occurred. Quite noticeably, April’s belly must continue to grow and her calf must become more active. Both of these have occurred over the past several weeks. Also, there must be changes in her udders. April must produce milk and lose her wax caps before active labor starts. As of the latest Animal Adventure Park update, April is still not producing milk and continues to have wax caps. According to the Giraffe Husbandry Manual, April will not go into active labor until these are shed and once milk fills her udders, her calf should be born within two days.

April The Giraffe Changes To Expect Before Active Labor And Calf Hooves Are Seen https://t.co/GmSr0LkXcw

— The Inquisitr (@theinquisitr) March 15, 2017

Are you watching April the Giraffe via the live Animal Adventure Park cam? Are you excited to see her give birth online? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section below.

[Featured Image by ChrisVanLennepPhoto/Shutterstock]