The nail-biting suspense and anticipation to see the arrival of a celebrity giraffe's baby to the Earth at New York's Animal Adventure Park is continuing.
The anxiety seems unabated after the giraffe skipped the April 1 date of delivery.
"Our big girl is comfortable, confident, and continues to keep her composure — better than the rest of us!" updated a staffer at the Animal Adventure Park in New York on the Facebook page.
Yes, it is really a case of "world waiting on edge" ever since the pregnant giraffe's live-streaming became a sensation. Nearly 150,000 people have watched the giraffe's live stream.
According to zoo sources, the giraffe will slip into labor any time now and may not disappoint the fan club any longer.
Pregnant Giraffe And Online Frenzy
Celebrity tag was bestowed on the giraffe in February when Animal Adventure Park launched a live stream on YouTube to make the world watch her birth pangs. But that was resented by some animal activists who slammed the move and approached YouTube to suspend the live feed. It did that after protests on "sexually explicit" content though relented later and restored it.
That is how the pregnant April the giraffe became a star.
"Initially, when the camera went live back in the beginning of February, it was getting some viewership," park owner Jordan Patch said. "But then all of the sudden, it got very, very popular."
However, the global attention on the giraffe has been keeping the giraffe's veterinarian, Dr. Tim, on the edge.
"You all know how much I love to be wrong about my predictions, but such is life. I'll keep all posted and will let you know when the baby is on its way," Dr. Tim wrote on the zoo's Facebook page.
"It really shouldn't be much longer, I'm just not going to tell you my guesstimate anymore," Dr. Tim added.
According to Patch, curiosity on the giraffe has been a huge draw for the zoo. But he reminds that pregnancy is not being made a live entertainment, but it is a source for education.
Calf And Mother To Stay Together For 10 Months
Now the calf's arrival is only a matter of time. Zoo officials are expecting the calf to have a weight of 150 pounds and a height of 6 feet, which will be up and walking in about an hour.
To be raised by the mom for six to 10 months, the separation will come after that period and the little giraffe will be shifted to another facility for a breeding program.
"We cannot retain offspring, as it would lead to incestuous mating and undermine the genetics of the program and species," the zoo said.
Pregnancies of giraffe are long drawn affairs, running into an average of 15 months and the labor may last for a few hours to days. The excited team at Animal Adventure Park is mulling a naming contest to christen the baby once it arrives.
Crowd Funding For Giraffe Family
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page covering April, the calf, and mate Oliver has raised $100,000 out of a goal of $50,000 and the park also received donations separately.
Cortney Whalen, the park's spokeswoman, said that the money will be pooled together to feed, house, and care for the giraffes.
The giraffe's website, aprilthegiraffe.com also offers a link for buying apparel imprinted with a giraffe's head and "#Aprils View Crew" together with the park's name and address.
