April The Giraffe’s Behavior Being Monitored: Giving Birth On Live Camera Soon?
April the giraffe, who is a celebrity in her own merit these days, is being watched closely at the moment. The 15-month pregnant animal is expected to be giving birth on live camera anytime soon now.
The live feed on YouTube has become a sensation among viewers, with millions of them watching it. Animal Adventure Park plans to have the live feed until the baby becomes 5-days-old. The New York park keeps its Facebook page regularly updated, as millions of people are eager to know when April is going to give birth to her calf.
Fans of April the giraffe’s live camera feed got an update at 2:12 am EST on March 16. It talked about the Stella snow storm, which disrupted regular life in New York City. According to The Weather Channel, Winter Storm Stella has killed 16, while leaving more than three feet of snow in certain places. The storm has grounded over 6,000 flights and caused power outages for half a million people. West Winfield, New York, saw a total accumulation of 42 inches of snow.
The snow storm caused “significant disruption” to April the giraffe’s live camera feed as well. The snow and wind disturbed the signal. But, Animal Adventure Park asked the viewers to “breathe easy.” The park notified that the mother giraffe’s behavior was under the radar as the 15-year-old animal was getting ready to be giving birth to her fourth calf. This time, it’s with her mate Oliver, who is 1-year-old and is expecting his first calf.
“We have noted April’s behavior the past hour and are watching closely,” the park announced on its Facebook page. “This does not mean we expect immediate changes in situation but are monitoring behavior.”
Animal Adventure is expecting its first giraffe calf, which will weigh around 150lb and will be about six feet tall at birth. The decision to record April The giraffe giving birth on live camera turned out to be hugely popular among online viewers. Initially, the live stream got a sponsor. In the early days, all the sponsor had to do was to send food to the New York park to feed the animal. However, things changed with two billion viewed minutes by 80 million viewers. The live stream went past the deadline, as April did not give birth to her calf. The sponsor apparently backed out.
According to GoFundMe, Animal Adventure is expecting at least $50,000 from the next sponsor. However, the park plans to spend a part of the money for a good cause. One-third of the amount will go to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. The rest of the amount will be spent for April, her calf, and other animals. It has already collected more than $61,000 from the crowdfunding campaign.
According to 14 News, some viewers noticed on Thursday morning that April the giraffe seemed very uncomfortable. The vet said she would soon change her position from low to back, as she would get ready to be giving birth on live camera.
The live feed on YouTube was earlier removed for being “sexually explicit.” According to Animal Adventure, anti-zoo animal rights activists made a complaint for the removal of the live cam feed.
Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months. As soon as April the giraffe gives birth to her calf on live camera, Animal Adventure will hold a contest for its name. The calf won’t stay with Oliver, as it might “lead to incestuous mating and undermine the genetics of the program and species.”
[Featured Image by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images]
