The world is still waiting for April the giraffe to give birth. At least for those who want good, clean fun, the live stream of the mother giraffe in waiting is pretty good to behold.
Not all giraffes have attained the status such as this one at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York had at the moment.
She is one hot social media item as the live stream KENS 5 continues.
Innocent Beginning
The zoo handlers said the decision to provide the live stream of April came after several park visitors asked when she will be giving birth.
Thinking that the giraffe would be giving birth anytime soon, the park personnel decided to set up the live stream.
It turned out that the simple acquiesce to what the few visitors wanted to know led to the making of an overnight sensation and darling of social media.
Significant Drop But Not Yet The Moment
The wait is not yet over and may drag on for days.
Zoo officials said there is a significant drop of the gentle giant's belly as of Monday afternoon, March 13.
"We cannot confirm active labor at this time," the Animal Adventure Park posted in social media.
Becoming Few
Giraffes, known as the earth's gentle giant, are decreasing in number.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has estimated that there are 80,000 giraffes in Africa — a 40 percent drop from 140,000 in 1999.
There are nine subspecies of giraffes.
April belongs to the species identified as reticulated giraffe as indicated by her large brown spots separated by cream-colored lines. Her kind has an estimated population of 4,700 from 31,000 in 1998.
Celebrated Birth
The declining numbers of giraffes have led to several programs among accredited zoos to maintain and develop healthy populations of giraffes. This is part of the efforts to save the giraffes in the wild.
April's forthcoming birth is a celebration among conservationists, as it will give them the chance to study her and its offspring.
The celebration is well extended to the public with the round-the-clock live streaming.
Fun Facts
Here are the eight facts surrounding giraffe birth and cycles the public needs to know:
1. A female giraffe is also called a cow. The male is a bull, while the kid is called a calf.
2. A newborn calf's weight ranges from 100 to 150 pounds.
3. The gestation period of a giraffe is 15 months.
4. For giraffes in the zoo, they have a lifespan of 20 to 27 years, which is twice as much compared to their counterparts in their natural habitat.
5. A calf is greeted with a thud as it falls to the ground upon its birth because a female giraffe will give birth while standing.
6. The newborn calf will soon learn to walk 30 minutes to one hour after its birth.
7. Giraffes in the zoo give birth in a maternity barn, while those in the wild will have their babies on calving grounds.
8. The calf will be nursed by its mother for 9 to 12 months.
