About a week has been passed since a giraffe named April and her unborn baby came into the spotlight. She has become famous and already won numerous hearts all over the world with the live streaming video of her home in Animal Adventure Park (AAP).
From the time the video went viral, several questions have started popping up from all over the world. Here are a few things to clue you in about April.
Who Is April The Giraffe?
April is a 15-year old giraffe who is already a mother of three calves, and her fourth is on the way.
Generally, the lifespan of a giraffe is about 15 years if they are in the wild. However, they can survive up to 27 years if kept in professional custody. According to the zookeepers at the AAP, April can easily carry children even for a long time after her present delivery.
The older babies of April were born under other provisions and this is the first calf which is about to be born in this zoo. April has been a resident of AAP since September 2015.
The Process Of Giraffe Birth
Giraffes have a pregnancy gestation period of 15 months. According to the zookeepers, when a bunch of hooves comes out of April, it will signal that her labor is setting in. Her current unborn baby may come at any time, as it is already late by a week or so.
An amazing fact about giraffes is that they hide their labor on purpose to restrict the attention from any predators nearby. The predator, however, may wait until the giraffe gives birth and then attack the baby.
April will deliver while standing and zookeepers will monitor the whole process to ensure that nothing goes wrong both with the baby and the mother.
The calf is expected to weigh 150 lb and will be 6 inches tall at birth.The front hooves of the calf will come out followed by the snout.
After giving birth, April will clean her baby for the first 10 minutes and then the baby will be able to walk. After 30 minutes of its birth, the calf will be able to run. It will be nursed for about six months, then it would be sent off to another enclosure to discourage incestuous relations.
The Calf's Father
The unborn baby's father is a giraffe named Oliver and he is kept separate from April. This is because male giraffes have great propensity to engage in fights and sexual activities.
Therefore, the male giraffes, known as bulls, need to be kept away from the female and the calf. He will be able to spend a few minutes with his child, but will not be a part of its overall upbringing.
Check out the live stream from AAP showing April's enclosure.
