Giraffe Watch 2019 is officially underway for the world’s most-watched giraffe, April, who is due to give birth to another calf any time now. Zoo officials said previously that April had conceived with her mate, Oliver, earlier in 2019 — and that the calf would be due this spring. However, zoo officials said that with the way things are advancing with her pregnancy, the calf could come as early as this weekend, WGN9 reports. The officials added that it could be days, or even hours, until April gives birth, but that “things are looking imminent” for her.
Just as they did with her previous birth in 2017, Animal Adventure Park is providing a live feed that captures the countdown to the arrival of April’s long-legged bundle of joy. Since March 1, the park has been providing updates on their Facebook page, and the updates are shared after the 7:30 p.m. EST keeper check.
The New York zoo also made April the Giraffe Cam available again, and it started streaming live on February 11, 2019. The feed, known as Animal Adventure Park’s April & Oliver Giraffe Cam & Chat, features a chat section for her fans this time.
Today, over 30,000 fans took to the video to give commentaries about the sweet goings-on between the two giraffe parents.
? Here we go … AGAIN! #AprilTheGiraffe could give birth soon – https://t.co/Ff9FaCJ5dd pic.twitter.com/AuMbmAdA9D
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) March 7, 2019
YouTube is also offering a live feed of the proceedings. Fans watching this morning were treated to Oliver and April cuddling after the handlers let him into her stall for a little moral and physical support. April was sometimes seen leaning on Oliver, seemingly in an attempt to take pressure off her burgeoning belly.
As an aside, Oliver stays in the adjacent stall to April’s most of the time.
Fans’ comments ranged from crushing on the lovey-dovey scene to jokes about April scolding Oliver for the predicament she’s in. Carrot emojis are a frequent fixture of the live chat. The comments about the two being sweet on each other ranged from, “Love seeing Oliver up close he’s beautiful. Oliver makes a good scratching post for April. Sooo snuggly,” to “She is so happy! hay showers and snuggles,” to “They are so affectionate to one another.”
On the other hand, some fans jokingly wrote that — in some cases — Oliver can be a rascal. One chimed in that Oliver was just being loving because he had ulterior motives. This fan pretended to be April, writing, “Oliver stop eating and drinking my goodies…”
Others joked that April the giraffe represents those pregnant moms that are ready for the big day to arrive, and who want to spread a little blame around for that miserable feeling — as if you are about to burst. Some of the more hilarious jabs follow.
“She’s head-butting him, saying You did this to me!! LOL.”
“Pay backs a blank Oliver.”
“Push him away April!!”
The birth of this calf will reportedly make it her fifth. For those learning about April for the first time — she’s a reticulated giraffe who lives at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York. She gained worldwide notoriety after a live video of her in the late stages of her pregnancy was put on YouTube in 2017. The subsequent birth of her baby giraffe, Tajiri, was viewed by nearly 1.2 million of April’s fans. Animal Adventure Park provided a giraffe cam to capture every second of it for her many admirers, and people counted down the moments until the big day.
With Animal Adventure Park hinting that April’s birth is imminent, fans might want to clear their weekend schedule to watch the exciting event on the park’s live stream. Meanwhile. Tajiri, who will soon be two years old, can be viewed on YouTube as well — if you’d like to virtually saunter over to catch up on what he’s doing.
The Inquisitr can share that the little guy already has a girlfriend. On that note, maybe one day April the Giraffe will become a grandmother.