Can You Spot April The Giraffe, Tajiri, On YouTube Rewind?
The giraffe cam craze started sometime in February, then turned into March madness, and in April, millions of viewers tuned in to YouTube to watch April the giraffe give birth to an adorable little calf. Today, the mommy giraffe and her son Tajiri made it to the coveted YouTube Rewind series, which features world’s best video content of 2017.
It’s been over eight months and, even now, millions are glued to their laptops, PCs, and smartphones to keep track of the goings-on in the giraffe barn at Animal Adventure Park (AAP).
It’s raining awards at AAP
Jordan Patch, the owner of the interactive petting zoo, is an out-of-the-box thinker and marketer. Most of all, he is an animal lover. When he conceptualized the giraffe cam, Patch did not realize that it would draw global interest. This initiative not only benefitted the park, it also benefitted New York State.
In October, Patch won the New York State Tourism Award for drawing tourists to Harpursville. This month, April the giraffe and her son stole the show by being featured on the coveted YouTube Rewind series.
What is YouTube Rewind?
YouTube Rewind is an end-of-the year video series created and produced by YouTube. The series recognizes top notch video creators of the year by taking into account the the videos that generated most number of views, likes, shares, and searches. April and Tajiri made it to the list.
April and Tajiri fame
April the giraffe skyrocketed to fame when the park decided to livestream her pregnancy journey. The hay-munching, carrot-crunching momma giraffe became a viral sensation when millions of people tuned in to YouTube to watch her antics. Now, Baby Taj has also garnered a lot of fans.
On April 15, April the giraffe gave birth to Tajiri. According to a report by Variety, more than 1.2 million people around the world watched April give birth live, thereby making it one of 2017’s most-viewed live events on YouTube.
“Tajiri is different from other baby giraffes for many reasons… the main one, of course, having been born in the spotlight and literally watching him from birth where we got to know his sweet personality, watch his first steps, see him bond with his mom April and interact with the AAP staff. So you became emotionally attached to him! He is also extremely adorable, which I know all baby giraffes are, but his little heart shaped nose steals your heart and those tufts of black hair on his head make you smile! He is curious yet calm, full of energy yet laid back, plus he really is super cute, and he knows it,” said Carrie Ann Grippo-Pike, an animal photographer.
According to reports, April the giraffe has been cleared for another pregnancy. Fans of Animal Adventure Park are thrilled and waiting for Baby Watch 2018.
[Featured Image by Susan Cooke Ballinger]
