Animal Adventure Park: Goat Beats April The Giraffe To Labor, Welcomes Twins
Over 100,000 people were glued to the live giraffe cam tonight, waiting for April the giraffe to go into labor. During the Animal Adventure Park’s nightly live chat, another zoo mamma was birthing twins. According to the evening update, Allysa had a surprise waiting for her as she walked back from Oliver and April’s giraffe barn.
“Upon Allysa’s walk back to her night quarters, from the giraffe barn, she came across ‘Fatty Patty’ one of our pygmy goats – that just had twins! So mom and kids have been moved into the nursery barn, alongside our llama and cria, to relax and bond!”
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/photos/a.248725055230381.37912.246833958752824/936716503097896/?type=3&theater
So, when is April going to have this baby already? In a question and answer session, park owner Jordan Patch mentioned that when April the giraffe is seen stretching out and raising her tail, it is a sign of pressure, which could indicate a contraction.
Viewers around the globe watch with bated breath every time April’s tail goes up which, as confirmed by tonight’s update, has been happening a lot today.
“April continues to be herself – though a bit moody end of the day but the vet reported a happy girl earlier this afternoon. As you can see from the cam, her back end is huge; tail is up, aaaannnddd we wait!”
When you realize you've been pregnant for 15 months and just want it to be over with pic.twitter.com/xIVubhojZZ
— April The Giraffe (@AprilTheGiraffe) March 16, 2017
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, April the giraffe will hide signs of her labor. Giraffes in the wild conceal labor for as long as possible. Newborn calves cannot stand or walk for approximately an hour after birth and are vulnerable to animals of prey. Showing signs of labor or distress would, in the wild, be a billboard to predators.
Early labor can last for several days, and the thousands of individuals who are watching April may not even notice signs of active labor until she delivers the baby’s hooves. Once she goes into active labor, the birth of April’s calf may take as little as 30 minutes.
The Animal Adventure Park will live stream the birth of April the giraffe’s calf. Unfortunately, the time or date of the birth is unknown and, since April is unlikely to broadcast signs, is likely to be a surprise. The timeline and due date for April’s pregnancy were definitely wrong, but active labor should begin very soon. April has been showing sure signs of impending birth.
If you have been paying close attention to the live giraffe feed, you may have noticed that April’s baby bump has grown significantly over the past couple of weeks. Her calf has also been moving around quite a bit, suggesting that the baby is moving into birthing position.
A post shared by Animal Adventure Park (@animaladventurepark) on
The staff at the zoo is closely watching the wax caps on April’s udders. Generally, a pregnant giraffe will lose the caps just prior to birth so that the baby can nurse as soon as it can reach. This is a sure sign that active labor is not far off.
On Monday, the owner of the Animal Adventure Park let April’s followers know that her wax caps are thinning, a definite sign that she is getting ready to have her baby.
In further news from the Animal Adventure Park, as seen in the bottom left of the live cam, April has found a sponsor. Toys R Us stores have decided to step up and sponsor the zoo, doing some amazing things for the conservation of giraffes in the wild.
“We are excited to announce some amazing partnerships! As you can see, Toys R Us has joined forces and done some amazing things for conservation. Stay tuned tomorrow for potentially life-changing news for wild giraffes.”
The park has stated that they will keep the live stream filming until April’s calf is 5 days old. You can watch April the giraffe’s cam live in the video player below.
Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones checking in at exactly the right moment to catch the birth. Since baby giraffes are most often born in the pre-dawn hours, those watching after midnight may get lucky one morning soon.
[Featured Image by Gts/Shutterstock]
