April the giraffe will give birth to another calf any day now!
April is a world-famous giraffe mama at the Animal Adventure Park is Harpursville, New York. She first rose to fame two years ago when she gave birth to a baby in front of 1.2 million live viewers.
She's now pregnant again, and keepers at the Animal Adventure Park say that she's ready to go into labor any minute. Already, tens of thousands of fans are tuned in to the live cam on YouTube.
Last time, April's pregnancy dragged on longer than anyone anticipated. Viewers watched and waited for the last two months of her pregnancy before she gave birth.
This time, though, keepers say they don't expect people to have to wait nearly that long. April is showing signs of "imminent" labor — her udders are filled, and she's producing a "yellow/cloudy" discharge.
"What I will promise, it won't be two months of waiting!" park staff wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile on the live cam, April is just hanging out and licking the camera. Any day now, April!
This is April. April is, hands down, the most famous giraffe in the world. She has thousands of fans!
April is one of three giraffes who permanently live at the Animal Adventure Park in Harspursville, New York.
Her claim to fame? She gave birth to an adorable baby giraffe on a live video stream in 2017.
April's stream received over 232 million live views. On the day she welcomed her calf, 1.2 million people watched the birth as it happened. The moment became one of the most-watched moments ever on YouTube at the time.
Now April's son Tajiri is as tall as his parents. Tajiri's dad, Oliver, is 6 years old. April is 17 years old. (For reference, wild giraffes have a life expectancy of 25 years, though captive giraffes typically live shorter lives.)
Giraffe pregnancies normally last 15 months. Before Tajiri, April had given birth to three other giraffes — two boys and a girl.
April's pregnancy with Tajiri, though, lasted 16 months. In 2017, live-stream viewers watched and waited anxiously during the last two months of her pregnancy.
In July 2018, the Animal Adventure Park staff announced that Oliver and April had mated once again, and that April's calf was due in spring 2019.
Since then, fans of the giraffe have been waiting for more details. And now April's live stream has begun!
Last Wednesday, keepers at the park said that April's labor was "imminent." They explained that April is exhibiting a "yellow/cloudy" discharge and that her udders have filled.
Moreover, her belly has grown to an impressive size!
All signs point to almost "there," the keepers said. "Now of course 'there' could be hours, a day or so, perhaps," the post said. "What I will promise, it won't be two months of waiting!"
On Sunday, staff posted another update explaining that while they'd expected a calf over the weekend, no calf has yet arrived.
"Again — we watch and wait," the post read.
"Promising and new is that April's tail is now hanging and pinning to the left a bit, which is appropriate and expected positioning for the big moment," they explained.
The keepers have also been posting photo updates of April's progress, including some close-up shots of her udders!
Those who'd like immediate updates when April goes into active labor can sign up for text alerts. The service costs $5, which also buys you exclusive April and giraffe baby content.
Or you could just, you know, keep the live stream on in the background constantly until the baby comes.
