People have been waiting and watching for April the giraffe to give birth for a while. It finally happened on April 15, 2017. Because it was the Giraffe's fourth calf, she was accustomed to the pregnancy and waited patiently. Some people had become impatient because they had been watching the livestream since February 22.
April went into labor around 7:30 a.m. and she welcomed the calf a little before 10 a.m. after being pregnancy for 16 months. According to CNN, 1,251,000 people were watching the actual birth in real time on Animal Adventure Park zoo's official livestream.
Those who missed the birth on livestream will be able to see it on YouTube, and surely it will be on the news.
Birth of giraffes
Unlike women, giraffes give birth while standing up. Therefore, the calf fell head first several feet to the ground. While this might sound dangerous, the fall helps in certain ways. The fall breaks the amniotic sac. It cuts the umbilical cord, and it forces the newborn calf to take its first breaths. The newborn was expected to weigh around 150 pounds and stand about 6 feet tall. This information was provided by Jordan Patch, owner of the zoo.
After the calf's birth, April was seen in her stall cleaning off her new baby with her tongue. When the calf tried to stand, it was unable to do so at first, but it kept trying until it was able to stand with the help of its mother.
Periodic updates
In the few days before the birth, the zoo gave periodic updates on its Facebook page. Even the staff at the zoo thought April would give birth much sooner. A doctor had been on call since March 31. Even though it is April's fourth calf, it is the first one for April's mate, Oliver.
lil fuzzy newborn giraffe!#AprilTheGiraffe n baby! Finally here. pic.twitter.com/HGUrzoxMLz
— April the Giraffe (@apri1thegiraffe) April 15, 2017
The sex of the newborn has not been revealed.
That information is specified to be released soon since so many people have taken an interest in the birth. At one time, the zoo said it would have an online contest for people to offer suggestions for April and Oliver's baby. Fans will be notified of the details.
The zoo indicated that April's pregnancy this time wasn't much different from her previous three except they were not live-streamed.
Since the live streaming was so popular, fans might request for it to continue for a while so they can keep up to date on what's going on with the little one.
Did you watch the live stream of the birth of April's calf? Would you like for the live streaming to continue so you can see how April and the calf are doing?