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Today We Find Out If April The Giraffe Is An Elaborate April Fools’ Day Joke

By Lawrence Arboleda
Published on: 22:24 PST, Mar 31, 2017

Millions of fans have been observing the progress of April the Giraffe’s pregnancy via Animal Adventure Park’s live cam for weeks, with some obsessed observers tuning in to the live stream for hours on end just so they can capture the exact moment the giraffe gives birth to her fourth calf.

After weeks of updates from AAP, most of April’s followers are expecting to see the beloved pregnant giraffe deliver her calf any day now. After all, her delivery is long overdue. And if Animal Adventure Park’s recent Facebook updates are any indication, chances are April is going to deliver her baby right on April Fools’ Day — that is today.

Which begs the question: is April the Giraffe’s pregnancy nothing but an elaborate April Fools’ Day joke? In fact, Mashable published an article suggesting that it might be so. Stranger things have happened, but there are just too many coincidences that people can’t simply ignore.

For one, the pregnant giraffe was named April. And if she delivers her calf today, her baby giraffe will be considered an April Fools’ Day baby. That’s a cool coincidence, sure, but when one takes into account what April Fools’ Day stands for, as well as the funny and unique circumstances surrounding April’s pregnancy and her subsequent delivery, one can’t help but wonder if it’s all just an elaborate hoax, or a social experiment if you will.

At present, here’s the latest update posted by Animal Adventure Park’s Facebook page, which went into detail on the “significant changes” April had undergone overnight. Also, notice how it mentioned that April will likely deliver an April Fools’ baby, along with the remark that it’d be “the perfect ending.”

“Keeper report – April has zero interest in food. Behavior is extremely off. Signs of contractions continue.

“Vet report –
Here are the signs that I’m happy to be seeing: significant changes to her “back end” including vulvar swelling, laxity and a thick, gooey discharge. Mammary development including milk let-down and some occasional dripping. Her behavior has changed drastically from yesterday to today. She is less engaging, hesitant to eat her feed (and treats) and unresponsive to a lot of various stimuli. You will also see her do a few things including standing and staring off into space as well as stretching her neck and back legs. If you watch carefully you will see her abdominal wall tense up during those episodes. You’ll also see a lot more squinting and just odd behavior. Also important to note is the amount and size of her fecal output. Everything she is doing is surely pointing to her going into labor soon. – Not much has changed from the morning but I suspect she will go quickly.
——–
“It looks like we will have an April Fools baby!
“Who could have ever predicted this, unfolding as it has. The perfect ending. April – waited for April!

“We will keep you posted should things get interesting this evening. Keepers are onsite overnight and support staff are on stand by.”

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/photos/a.248725055230381.37912.246833958752824/944411645661715/?type=3

As such, it’s curious to see the varied reactions of April the Giraffe’s followers as they mull over the possibility that it’s all an elaborate hoax. Some are amused, and some are dreading that the theory may turn out to be true. It’s pretty understandable especially if the follower in question had spent — and may have wasted — hundreds of hours glued into Animal Adventure Park’s live cam. Those are hours they can’t ever take back.

It’s entirely possible that Animal Adventure Park’s live cam may have had negative consequences in the personal lives of some followers, especially moms, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.

On the positive side, if it turns out that Animal Adventure Park just pulled a big one on us, we can at least find consolation in the fact that some of the proceeds earned via the zoo’s partnership with Toys R Us will be spent towards giraffe conservation efforts, as reported by Mashable. After all is said and done, it may turn out to be an April Fools’ Day with a good cause.

At any rate, the only way to find out is to wait this day out and check the news at every opportunity. Maybe tuning into Animal Adventure Park’s live cam video below isn’t a bad idea, either. Today might be the day.

[Featured Image by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images]

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