Animal Adventure Park Live Feed: April The Giraffe Carrying Calf ‘Toward Rear’
It’s another day of waiting for the folks at Animal Adventure Park! The zoo’s star giraffe is expecting her fourth calf any day now, and their live feed has become one of the most popular videos on YouTube this year. Thousands upon thousands of people have been watching April the giraffe as she walks around her enclosure, eats hay, and peers into that strange camera on the wall outside of her stall.
Of course, she has no idea that she has been entertaining so many people!
The latest update from Animal Adventure Park has given us hope that April is close to giving birth. However, she is not officially in labor at this time. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there are a couple of ways to tell when a giraffe goes into labor. While the mama-to-be will be very careful not to show that she is in any kind of distress, there are a few things that will likely happen when she is ready to welcome her calf.
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For starters, April’s water will break. Now, that could be a full flood of liquid or just a trickle, so it may not be completely obvious for those watching on the live feed. This is something that the zoo will update folks on when it happens. Next, the giraffe will have contractions which should be easy to see but may not be “obvious” to those tuning in on YouTube. In other words, you may see the giraffe’s stomach move, but you may not realize that these are contractions as opposed to her typical belly movements.
Before going into labor, April may experience a loss of appetite. This is not something that has happened just yet as she continues to eat up a storm. The wax caps covering her udders will likely fall off before her calf is born so that he or she will be able to feed after birth. In Animal Adventure Park’s Sunday update, the zookeepers have confirmed that April’s wax caps are “still in place.”
Another sign that April is ready to give birth is the location of her baby. The calf will move to the lower part of its mom’s belly to prepare for birth, something that may already be in the process of happening, according to the zoo’s recent Facebook post. Check out the latest update from Animal Adventure Park below.
“Keepers have noted a calming down of the calf and April carrying everything a bit towards the rear. This is exactly what we want! Wax caps are still in place. Appetite remains strong,” the Facebook post read.
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Animal Adventure Park has been super when it comes to keeping their fans and followers up to date on April’s condition. They post at least two updates each day and have been holding live Q&A sessions to get people involved and to educate the public about these majestic animals.
After April gives birth, Animal Adventure Park will be holding a baby-naming-contest. Those who wish to submit a name suggestion for the new calf will be asked to do so at a later date. Do you have any name suggestions? So far, people seem to like “Unity,” “Hope,” “Patrick,” and “Stella.”
Have you been watching Animal Adventure Park’s live feed over the past couple of weeks? Are you excited for April to finally welcome her calf into the world? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Animal Adventure Park/Instagram]
