Giraffe born at Toledo zoo won't go on exhibit for a while
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Apr 10, 2017
Caretakers at Animal Adventure Park in NY are reporting that viral sensation April the giraffe was closer to giving birth to her fourth calf Saturday night, but the baby was "just not coming out".
By Friday morning, April had finished all the prior night's grain and was still chomping away, the zoo said. On Monday, Elli gave birth to calf Kipenzi, a female giraffe who weighs 130 pounds and stands 67 inches tall, the zoo said. "Perhaps suggesting a new position of calf...we hope for launch sequence!"
The zoo says April is 15 and this is her fourth calf. While April did not 'deliver, ' the park says they are still confident in the health of both mom and baby. The live stream immediately went viral, with more than 100,000 individuals watching her at any given time. Tell us how long you have been watching the Animal Adventure Park live cams and make your prediction for when April will finally give birth in the comments section below. Giraffes typically give birth standing up, and the calves are born front feet and head first. In April 4, many baby watchers were again thrilled after seeing what seems to be pushing contractions, but April is taking her time and has not given birth until now.
April is 15 years old and her partner Olly is much younger than her.
People who've visited the park in previous months knew of April's pregnancy and the park has been receiving inquiries about her giving birth.
The animals traveled from Animal Adventure Park in the town of Harpursville. April will raise her calf naturally, and weaning could take between 6-10 months, maybe longer. "We sure it's not on a loop?" another said.
In the meantime, feast your eyes on some of the animals born in zoos since April's livestream started. "When not eating new food, they are chewing their cud", they continued. Animal Adventure Park officials will not rush this process.
Baby-giraffe anticipation has reached a fever pitch.
