April The Giraffe Live Cam: Animal Adventure Park Fans Hope Full Moon Induces Labor
April the giraffe is still pregnant and preparing to welcome her fourth calf any day now — and that’s how it has been for well over one month. Those who have been watching Animal Adventure Park’s live cam on YouTube for the past several weeks have learned more about giraffes and their behaviors than they probably ever thought they would. April could give birth to her fourth calf any day now, and as she has kept everyone guessing, fans are hoping that Tuesday night’s full moon brings active labor and a calf!
For those of us who haven’t been able to take our eyes off of the live YouTube feed, there have been plenty of “on the edge of your seat” moments — especially when April widens her stance, tenses up, and relieves herself.
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Animal Adventure Park has been posting two to three updates per day on their Facebook page, keeping their thousands of fans in the loop. It has been over 10 days since Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch and zookeepers Allysa and Corey posted a Facebook Live video and told the world that April was showing all signs of “imminent” labor. While Jordan predicted that April would give birth that weekend, she didn’t — and she still hasn’t.
In their most recent update, Animal Adventure Park told us that they are still waiting for April to go into active labor.
“Early morning observations indicate no significant changes in physical appearance. As stated in posts prior – we do not expect any further physical change. We are waiting for increased pacing to indicate an active labor situation has begun, in addition to pushing/contractions. So, be watchful of behavioral changes!”
Many April the giraffe fans are finding themselves getting frustrated with “giraffe watch 2017” and that has started a whole bunch of rumors that April’s pregnancy is just a hoax. What some people may fail to realize is that this is the very first giraffe calf to be born at Animal Adventure Park. The zookeepers are doing the best they can to read April’s signs and to guess when she might give birth.
Giraffes are pregnant for about 15 months. Since the folks at Animal Adventure Park don’t know exactly when she conceived, figuring out her exact due date is tricky. Although most people are enjoying the opportunity to watch April as she prepares to give birth (and hopefully will catch her while she’s in labor), it has been exhausting — and super time-consuming!
The most important thing to remember is that a vet checks in on April regularly and she is healthy and she is progressing normally, even if you find it to be slow. If you’ve been playing the “when will April’s calf be born?” game, you may be inclined to think that she will give birth this week — specifically tomorrow. Why? Well, for starters, she is showcasing new signs that active labor is on its way, as Animal Adventure Park mentioned in their most recent update.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier in this post, there is a full moon tomorrow night. Whether you believe in that sort of thing or not, it has long been rumored that a full moon makes women go into labor. In a 2011 Huffington Post report, a baby boom in Sacremento was thought to be the result of a full moon that year.
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Many fans are convinced (or just super hopeful) that Tuesday’s moon phase will cause April to give birth.
“I have been saying she [won’t] go [until the] full moon which is tomorrow,” said one Facebook user.
“It is [a] full moon tomorrow — keeping fingers crossed,” added another.
Of course, there was a full moon in March as well and April did not give birth to her calf then — but that was one whole month ago. Could tomorrow finally be the day?!
[Featured Image by Animal Adventure Park/Instagram]
