Over the past two months, Animal Adventure Park’s YouTube video stream of April the giraffe has become one the largest internet sensations of the year. After this year’s brutal political election, it is easy to see why millions of people would find refuge and relaxation while watching April live on the YouTube giraffe cam. More than 133,000 people joined into the nightly chat on YouTube tonight. They chatted (politely and respectfully) among themselves while watching April, who is very pregnant, amble around her stall. Oliver, as clueless as ever about what is soon to come, wandered around the neighboring stall.
Staff members at the Animal Adventure Park have been continually posting updates on April the giraffe, as well as other zoo happenings. They have spent their days and nights educating and answering questions about giraffe care, conservation, and pregnancy. There is one question that remains unanswered, and everyone wants to know the answer. When will April the giraffe have her baby? Here is what we know.
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The Animal Adventure Park recently posted an evening update to their Facebook page.
“April continues to progress in front of our eyes! Mammary development has increased again since this morning! She has been a great sport all day…we are close! Hooves crossed!”
The status continues on, reminding all of the viewers of the Animal Adventure Park’s YouTube giraffe cam to keep watching. Everything can change, and April could go into active labor in just a few short minutes! The live giraffe cam from Animal Adventure Park’s YouTube can be accessed in the video player below.
This morning, the Animal Adventure Park gave April the giraffe’s followers more good news.
“Progression! The udder continues to fill. Giraffes do not ‘bag up’ with a full udder in the sense of a cow, dog, goat, or sow. Their udder is very subtle and tucked between the legs. The development occurs, generally, just prior to birthing… Here forward, we are most concerned with this area and will gauge our status from it, until a hoof is waving hello!”
The Animal Adventure Park noted that April’s appetite and her other behaviors were “on point.”
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The animal keepers, April’s vet, as well as the owner of the Animal Adventure Park all agree that she is getting extremely close. April’s “mammary development has continued to slowly increase” for the past few days. April has kept a good attitude, although she is uncomfortable at times, which is completely understandable. Last night’s animal keeper report mentioned that April struck at, but missed, the vet again. The report read that they “just think she was giving him a hoof (hand) out the door.
The Animal Adventure Park in New York, where April calls home, decided at the end of last season that they would take to YouTube to live stream April the giraffe’s pregnancy. Individuals who had previously visited the zoo were aware of April’s pregnancy. The Animal Adventure Park was overwhelmed with questions about the birth of April’s baby. Park owner, Jordan Patch, decided to stream the remaining days of April the giraffe’s pregnancy live on YouTube during the Park’s offseason.
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The giraffe cam on YouTube gained more popularity than the staff at the Animal Adventure Park had ever dreamed was possible. They have spent the last two months educating the world about reticulated giraffes (April the giraffe’s breed) and the importance of giraffe conservation. April the giraffe’s baby is hugely important to the Animal Kingdom since the breed is reducing in numbers year after year. Recently, Toys R Us agreed to sponsor the Animal Adventure Park’s YouTube stream, further providing support for giraffe conservation. The Animal Adventure Park has stated that the live giraffe cam on YouTube will remain streaming until the giraffe baby is 5-days-old.
[Featured Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
