Giraffe Meets World: April the Giraffe nurtures newborn calf
HARPURSVILLE, New York -- It's a boy! April the Giraffe gave birth to her baby at Animal Adventure Park Saturday morning around 10 a.m., and millions continue to watch as the new mom introduces her son to the world.
But your time to enjoy the miracles of nature is coming to an end soon, so get your giraffe fill while you can. Animal Adventure Park in rural upstate New York says the giraffe cam showing April and her baby will go dark by the end of the week.
WATCH THE ANIMAL ADVENTURE GIRAFFE LIVE CAM:
The park made the announcement on its Facebook page late Monday amid a flurry of messages from fans concerned April had a slight limp. The park says April's leg injury was minor and was much better Tuesday.
The giraffe cam made Animal Adventure Park the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history, with more than 232 million live views since February. More than 1.2 million viewers were watching when April gave birth Saturday.
The calf weighed 129 pounds (58.5 kilograms) and stood 5-foot-9 at birth, and he is nursing well and has had his first vet checkup.
The zoo team said April has recovered "perfectly" and is eating "everything in sight."
The 15-year-old giraffe delivered her calf in an enclosed pen at the zoo in Harpursville, about 130 miles northwest of New York City. The mama giraffe tenderly licked her calf, which began to slowly pick its head up from the floor of the pen. About 45 minutes after it was born, the calf stood on its wobbly legs for the first time while mom helped keep her baby steady.
April had the baby with Oliver, a 5-year-old giraffe, according to Animal Adventure. This is Oliver's first calf, but April knows the drill - this is her fourth.
The privately owned zoo began live-streaming from April's enclosure in February. Millions of people around the world have been tuning in daily.
A look at the moment April gave birth:
April was pregnant for 16 months, just over the normal gestation time for a giraffe. She will raise her calf naturally, and weaning could take between 6 to 10 months, maybe longer. Oliver, however, will not assist in raising the calf. Male giraffes, according to Animal Adventure Park, "only really care about two things - fighting and the unmentionable."
A look at April's calf standing for the first time:
April has her own website and even an apparel line. A GoFundMe fundraiser page that initially set a goal of $50,000 sat at more than $125,000 on Saturday morning. The money will be used for the care of the animals.
Because of fears of inbreeding, the calf will be relocated to another facility once the weaning process is over.
Animal Adventure is planning a contest to name the calf!
More video from Animal Adventure:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
