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April The Giraffe Labor Updates And Animal Adventure Park Latest News, Live Cam

By Charisse Van Horn
Published on: 09:42 PST, Apr 1, 2017

Update!

The text alert system the Animal Adventure Park was working on is now up and running. If you are interested in the signing up for this text alert system, you can do so in the link below. Also, there is a free giraffe watch app that you can sign up for that is available from an outside provider. You may find more information on that app in the article link below.

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/photos/a.248725055230381.37912.246833958752824/945367662232780/?type=3

As of April 1, 2017, April the giraffe is still pregnant and new photos indicate she may have a few more days to go before active labor begins. April is a 15-year-old reticulated giraffe who lives at the Harpursville, New York, zoo Animal Adventure Park (AAP). April lives with her 5-year-old mate and boyfriend Oliver “Ollie,” along with 200 other animals. April has been on giraffe calf watch since the end of February and now things are really moving along. The world has waited for April to go into active labor and deliver her calf while the giraffe cam streams the event live online. If you haven’t watched the live giraffe cam, you may see it along with other video updates and exclusive behind-the-scenes videos from the Animal Adventure Park below.

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

In our previous article, the Inquisitr reported that comparison photos of April’s udders indicated she might go into active labor by the weekend. During the April 1, 2017, morning update, a new photo was shared showing that April’s udders had actually increased and become more fluid-filled since the previous updates. This indicates that the countdown for active labor has reset. Here is the April 1 update showing a photo of April’s udders compared with the previous photos shared on March 29 and March 30.

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/photos/a.248725055230381.37912.246833958752824/945031762266370/?type=3

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/photos/p.943030029133210/943030029133210/?type=3

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/photos/p.942644405838439/942644405838439/?type=3

If you look at the photos of April’s udders, you will see there has been a change from March 29 until April 1. It was believed that April’s udders had already enlarged and were full of milk. According to the Australasian Zookeeping Giraffe Husbandry Manual, on page 48, it is announced that the giraffe’s teats begin to enlarge approximately 19 days before active labor; delivery and birth and milk is produced two days before active labor begins. April’s teats are the greatest indication we have that active labor will start, but the new photos show that estimates have been off. Even though she can go into active labor at any moment, it still hasn’t been confirmed that she is producing milk. While the world is on giraffe watch and many would love to see April hold out for an April Fools’ Day baby calf, there is still a chance that April has several more days to go.

Though we don’t know the exact time that April will go into active labor, we do know that it will begin soon. Even if by some strange chance she doesn’t go into active labor for a week or two, we know that she is making positive progress in the right direction and her baby will be here shortly.

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/posts/908099599292920

The Animal Adventure Park first shared a live, Facebook video on their page in January 2017, featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of the giraffe barn and the stalls and a look at April the giraffe. Back then, the AAP expected her to give birth towards the end of January or possibly the middle of February. A lot has changed since that early video, and over the months, April has become a household name. You can watch the video featuring April the giraffe below. As you can tell, it’s been a very long waiting game of giraffe watch not only for the public but the Animal Adventure Park as well.

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/videos/896634027106144/

Udders and mammary development are important to determining when a giraffe might deliver. Check out this Animal Adventure Park video from January sharing news that April’s udders were changing. This is another area that has caused misconception and a bit of confusion over the months. It was mistakenly believed that April had leaked milk and lost the wax caps from her udders, when in fact, she hadn’t. That confusion caused many to expect her to go into active labor and deliver her baby calf by mid-February. April has made it clear that no one can correctly guess when she is going to deliver her calf or go into active labor. As her udders continue to show signs of change as of April 1, and the report not to expect further changes was wrong, then we can also safely assume the two-day countdown to active labor may be off as well.

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/videos/893511670751713/

With the countdown to April’s active labor officially underway, but many glitches happening in the giraffe cam’s live stream, many are fearful they will miss the event. You can sign up for free labor alerts via email and the Animal Adventure Park is currently working on a system that will provide exclusive content to paid subscribers including active labor text alerts. Check out the article below for more information on the free text alert app.

Though many people have fallen in love with April and Oliver, their relationship with April’s calf will be short-lived. Once April has the calf and the public has spent time getting to know him or her via the giraffe cam, the cam will go offline. Additionally, once the calf is old enough, he or she will be rehomed. April and Oliver are the only permanent giraffes living at the Animal Adventure Park, and to promote conservation and prevent in-breeding, the giraffe calf will be rehomed.

Earlier this week, the Animal Adventure Park teamed up with Toys R Us and provided a behind-the-scenes tour of the giraffe barn and gave a better look at April the giraffe, Oliver, and the stalls they call home. You can see that video along with a chat session featuring park owner Jordan Patch below.

Additionally, the Animal Adventure Park announced plans to expand their park as they get ready for their May 13, 2017, opening. Demand to visit the park has significantly increased since April the giraffe has gone viral. Baby calf watch has swept the nation and people from around the world are thrilled to visit the park in person. The AAP also has a contest where people can win a free season pass and meet April the giraffe.

Are you watching the live giraffe cam? Are you excited to see April go into active labor and deliver her giraffe calf online? Will you be sad to see the giraffe cam shut down after the baby is born? Please leave your thoughts, questions, and opinions in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Lukiyanova Natalia Frenta/Shutterstock]

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