Animal Adventure Park Announces April The Giraffe’s ‘Journey To A Possible Calf In 2019’
Millions of people around the world watched April the Giraffe live on YouTube when she was pregnant with her calf, Tajiri, in 2017. She became an unstoppable sensation as whole families and classrooms tuned in to watch her pace around her pen. When she didn’t birth her calf in January, February, or even March, she became the target of several conspiracy theories. At the time, BBC News called it the “most anticipated birth” since Prince George was born to William and Kate.
At approximately 9:55 a.m. on April 15, she finally delivered a baby boy. April and her mate Oliver are currently residing with their son Tajiri at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY. Their calf Tajiri now stands 10 feet tall. April has been pregnant with four calves, but Tajiri was the first giraffe baby to be born at Animal Adventure Park.
Recently, the Animal Adventure Park took to their Facebook page to make a huge video announcement. The “exciting news from the Giraffe Barn” is that April the giraffe may be pregnant again. After careful observation, the zoo felt confident enough about an impending birth that they have publicly announced the “journey to a possible calf in 2019.”
In the video, park owner Jordan Patch explained the process of pregnancy confirmation. For 30 consecutive days, the zoo’s giraffe keeper Alyssa collected samples and fecal specimens from April’s stall. The samples have been “stored in a plastic bag labeled with a date and an identifying number and put into a freezer storage.”
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/videos/1310741469028729/
Now that the zoo has collected a full 30 days worth of samples, they have shipped them off to a lab for pregnancy confirmation. If the 16-year-old giraffe is, in fact, pregnant again, she will be expected to give birth sometime in 2019. Her due date is dependent upon when she conceived and will most likely be announced when her pregnancy is certain.
With millions of views worldwide, April’s live giraffe cam proved to be of educational importance around the globe. The staff at the Animal Adventure Park did an outstanding job of teaching thousands of households and classrooms at a time.
Because they are larger than most potential predators, reports Animal Spot, giraffes have very few natural enemies in the animal kingdom. Unfortunately, humans have become a tremendous threat. Even with their dwindling numbers, giraffes are still being poached for their thick skin and hair.
The staff at the park were extremely informative when April the giraffe was pregnant with Tajiri, as well as providing facts about the species. April, Oliver, and their calf are reticulated giraffes, which is a breed that is currently facing extinction.
Animal Adventure Park’s live giraffe cam has helped to bring a voice to what was once a “silent extinction.” It is the zoo’s hope that they can continue to educate as they bring yet another calf into the world.
