Animal Adventure Park Giraffe Cam: Updates On April, ‘Calf Countdown’ Continues


Fans of April the giraffe who spend their days keeping a close eye on the Animal Adventure Park giraffe cam were relieved this morning when they woke to find that they hadn’t missed the birth of April’s calf. Although thankful that April didn’t go into labor while they were fast asleep, many found themselves wondering what, if anything, did happen last night? How close is April to giving birth? The answer is, “very close.” The Animal Adventure Park morning Facebook update on April the giraffe confirms that the wait is almost over.

“Like many of you, we spent the evening watching our April. She continues to progress. Mammary development stays remains as filled udders, and will likely not get much Larger. Discharge continues to be present. Appetite is so – so this morning.
We continue calf countdown.”

Although April has carried four calves to term, this will be the very first giraffe calf born at the Animal Adventure Park. As exciting as it is for the staff, caring for a pregnant mama of her size is a stressful job. The closer April gets to active labor, the more stressful it becomes for everyone involved. April the giraffe’s vet, Dr. Tim. is using humor as a way to “remain sane.” Dr. Tim’s vet report on April not only shows his sense of humor but proves to be very exciting for those following April on the giraffe cam.

“Ok Gang… if you have been watching today, you should start getting excited… we are seeing almost all the signs of birth happening within the coming days… of course, my schedule is crazy for the next few days so naturally, we will pick the worst time possible. Hah. In an effort to speed things along I am launching “Operation Taco Induction”… let’s see what happens. (Not in Labor…) yet. – disclaimer – she didn’t actually get a taco. I’m not ridiculous.”

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The Animal Adventure Park’s giraffe cam on YouTube has been exceedingly busy, with hundreds of thousands of people watching at any given moment. Yesterday morning, the keeper report posted on Facebook by the Animal Adventure Park had people excitedly logging into YouTube to check on April the giraffe’s progress. Many were hoping that they would be lucky enough to catch April’s active labor begin. The keeper report for the morning of March 29 states the following.

“We apologize for the late update but it is for good reason. We will not confirm active labor, but we do have discharge that would suggest the count down to calf has begun! Mammary development is on point and picture is in comments. We will keep everyone posted throughout the day with developments. Our team and Vet are on standby. We could be hours away or days – so do not stop your day – but certainly don’t stop watching!”

The owner of the park, Jordan Patch, has been keeping everyone informed and lending insights into April’s pregnancy process. Many have wondered if April the giraffe is actually in or will go into active labor this morning. There has been some speculation as to whether or not she has been having contractions and for how long. Patch has said that it is unlikely that April will expose her labor until actual hooves appear. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, April the giraffe will hide signs of her labor. Giraffes in the wild conceal labor for as long as possible. Newborn calves cannot stand or walk for approximately an hour after birth and are vulnerable to predatory animals.

What should we be looking for when viewing the giraffe cam? As the Animal Adventure Park staff has explained, they believe that there are several signs that we can look for. These signals of active labor include straightening of her neck, a wider stance, and shifting in her hips, as well as the excessive movement of the calf. You can keep an eye on April in the Animal Adventure Park giraffe cam video player below.

The park has stated that they plan on keeping the live giraffe cam feed running until the calf is five days old. During this time, they will hold a contest to name April’s baby. It certainly is difficult to remain patient when April is this close to birthing her calf but checking in on April via Animal Adventure Park’s giraffe cam is all any of us can do.

[Featured Image by Edwin Butter/Shutterstock]

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