Animal Adventure Park Live Feed: April The Giraffe’s Baby Is ‘Sticking Out’
Animal Adventure Park has posted their evening update about April the giraffe. The zookeepers have noticed some significant changes and say that April has made great progress in these last few days (week?) of her pregnancy.
Each day, zoo personnel have been keeping a close eye on their internet star and have been sharing updates on their social media accounts. AAP has also been holding live Q&A sessions on YouTube and Facebook to interact with April’s thousands of fans.The Animal Adventure Park Facebook page is the best way to keep tabs on April the giraffe and to get the very latest information about her current state. So far, April is progressing — albeit slowly — but she still is not in labor.
The Animal Adventure Park Facebook page is the best way to keep tabs on April the giraffe and to get the very latest information about her current state.
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Animal Adventure Park workers have noted that April’s calf has been very active over the past few days. This weekend was no different for the baby, who has moved quite a bit and is now “sticking out” of his or her mom’s side!
“Keeper report is ‘holy smokes’ baby is sticking out. It is very evident in visual observations that the calf is moving up and sticking out! All are happy with [her] progress. We are not in labor at this time,” read the evening update posted on Animal Adventure Park’s Facebook page around 10 p.m. EST.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Animal Adventure Park is waiting for a few things to happen before they can confirm that April the giraffe is in labor. While the baby’s position is certainly key, there are also a few other ways to tell if a giraffe is ready to give birth. For starters, April’s water will break before she welcomes her fourth baby. It is unknown if that will be visible to the thousands of folks watching the live stream, but it could be.
Since giraffes are really good at hiding any sort of distress, it is possible that the public won’t be able to tell that April is in labor until the zoo’s veterinary staff confirms it. One thing that they will be looking for is the point at which the wax caps fall off her udders. This often happens just before birth as a giraffe’s body prepares itself for a soon-to-be suckling baby.
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Animal Adventure Park personnel and vets will also be looking for April to show signs of contractions. These may look like “normal” belly movements to the untrained eye but should be clear to those who work with these animals on a regular basis.
April the giraffe may also lose her appetite before going into labor, which is another thing to look out for over the next few days. Animal Adventure Park has noted that she has been eating up a storm lately so that labor “sign” hasn’t happened just yet.
As for when April’s calf will be born, your guess is as good as the next person’s. Animal Adventure Park has said that they are unsure of an exact due date but have ensured the public that April will more than likely be going into labor soon. The term that we’ve heard them use repeatedly is “close.”
When do you think April will welcome her calf? Are you excited to watch her give birth live? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Animal Adventure Park/Instagram]
