Animal Adventure Park New York’s Giraffe Live Cam for pregnant April has turned the world into Giraffes R Us, with help from Toys ‘R’ Us. Soon after Toys ‘R’ Us took over the sponsorship of April’s pregnancy, question and answer sessions have provided more information about the progress.
Geoffrey the Giraffe has waved his hooves as Toys ‘R’ Us’ mascot for 60 years. Consequently, the company felt that sponsoring the Animal Adventure Park giraffe, April, was the perfect match , reported APP News .
However, although it might sound like a soap opera synopsis, it should be noted that Geoffrey is not the daddy of what will be 15-year-old April’s fourth baby. The Animal Adventure Park named Oliver, a 5-year-old giraffe, as the father.
The sponsorship from Toys ‘R’ Us is signified by the slogan displayed on the YouTube video. And while there isn’t an official record book to see who’s been watching the longest, the YouTube page has been attracting thousands hopeful that they will see the baby born.
Millions have viewed the cam to see how April is progressing in her pregnancy, watching her walking around in her stall. Comments from viewers range from confessions that they “can’t look away” to “I’m obsessed.”
Toys ‘R’ Us expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to support the experience, said the company’s spokeswoman Nicole Hayes.
“Like millions of people around the world, we are eagerly anticipating the birth.”
Hayes also noted that Toys ‘R’ Us is “thrilled” about providing support both for the Animal Adventure Park itself and “its efforts around worldwide giraffe conservation.”
As @AprilTheGiraffe gets a little closer, we take a behind the scenes tour of April & Oliver’s awesome giraffe barn! #giraffewatch pic.twitter.com/p9VOtZstgh
— Toys”R”Us (@ToysRUs) March 29, 2017
Before Toys ‘R’ Us took over the sponsorship, the cam feed was sponsored by exotic animal food supplier Mazuri. In addition to the YouTube video, the Animal Adventure Park also has been providing answers to frequently answered questions on Facebook , reported KDVR .
For those who want to know how long the pregnancy will take, the experts revealed that it would be a fast process from the first sight of hooves emerging to the baby standing on its wobbly legs.
“From hooves to baby on the ground – could be as quick as 30-60 minutes. Baby will be on average 150# and 6? tall.”
The goal is to see the baby stand on its feet within an hour, they noted. And although the youngster may stumble, fall and even “face plant,” her keepers cautioned that it’s “all part of the process and we cannot intervene.”
After the baby stands, the goal is to see nursing within one to two hours in order to obtain “the essential colostrum.” The plan is to stay live on YouTube throughout the entire pregnancy, but viewers may not even see the staff in the live stream.
“Our team will not intervene unless we absolutely have to. You will not see us in the stall, but we are all there waiting.”
As for when it comes to experience, this will be April’s fourth calf, and she’s never lost a calf or had a stillborn, according to her keepers. However, this will be Oliver’s first experience as a daddy, reported Fox 6 .
Nationwide, giraffes’ pens rank among the largest in the nation when it comes to square foot per animal. Animal Adventure Park is known for providing indoor housing along with emphasizing enrichment and care so that the giraffes stay happy and healthy.
Weaning giraffes in captivity takes between 6 to 10 months, and possibly even longer, noted the keepers. The officials will not attempt to make the process faster.
Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months, and male giraffes (bulls) do not play a role in raising their babies. The giraffes are on a special diet that includes hay, and their favorite treats include romaine lettuce and carrots.
For those who want a unique way to remember to check the progress, there’s a GiraffeMoji . The official GiraffeMoji stickers are from Moji and Animal Adventure Park.
Noting that April and Oliver the giraffes are expecting the very first addition to their clan at the Animal Adventure Park in New York, the emoji page provides a way to celebrate with more than 25 emojis of the giraffes.
And for those who want to keep up with all things related to giraffes, the Northshore’s reticulated giraffe Sara just had her first baby, reported WWLTV .
Global Wildfire Center revealed that Nala was born naturally on their preserve.
“All of Global Wildlife Center’s giraffes birth naturally on our preserve,” stated the center. “Amazingly, the expecting mothers will let our animal care team know when it’s time to birth their young by excluding themselves from their herd.”
With 14 reticulated giraffes, the center contains one of the largest free-roaming herds in North America.
[Featured Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
