Giraffes are amazing animals, but unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy these magnificent creatures up close and personal. Fortunately, there are many giraffe cams live streaming online that allow everyone, regardless of location to virtually observe them.
Whether in a zoo, a park, or in Africa, watching giraffes is a wonderfully soothing pastime that can quickly lead to an obsession. The latter has just become the experience of thousands who innocently tuned into the Animal Adventure Park (AAP) live giraffe cam, where a 15-year-old Reticulated giraffe is soon to give birth. If you watch the live-streaming giraffe cam in the video player directly below, you’ll see April as she slowly paces in her pen, where she awaits the birth of her calf. Behind her stall is her 5-year-old mate Oliver “Ollie.” Sometimes April and Ollie will rub noses, and share secret conversations in their unique, giraffe way. For most of the time, it’s a lot of waiting, pacing, and watching. And people are watching. The videos have been viewed more than 100,000 times, and onlookers are flocking to the live giraffe cam to see if there’s a new addition to the Animal Adventure Park family.
Watch the live streaming cam featuring April the Giraffe below.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzJSe9QnMPV8gadzivVITOH4gDmTDaoHq
Signs that April is in labor are few and have contributed to the popularity of the video. Essentially, you’ll know that April is in labor and about to have a calf when you see hooves. Giraffes have a rough entry into the world, but that’s part of nature’s plan. April will give birth while standing up (she’s approximately 15 feet tall) and the newborn baby calf will plummet to the floor, a drop of approximately five to six feet!
The calf’s sudden impact against the ground is part of nature’s plan as it breaks the amniotic sac and ensures the giraffe gets that stereotypical slap to get the heart moving. Within half an hour, the calf will stand on his or her own two feet and would be strong enough to run across a pasture or plain within an hour.
Once April goes into labor, meaning the hooves are seen, the official Animal Adventure Park Facebook page will live stream the event. If you’re unsure whether April is in labor or not, check with the AAP Facebook page for updates as well as the live streaming video.
While thousands tune in to watch April give birth live online, the giraffes at the Animal Adventure Park aren’t the only ones with current live streaming cams. It is the only cam currently featuring a giraffe about to give birth. Here is a guide to live-streaming giraffe videos and cams as well as other animals such as those found on African safaris that you can watch online, 24/7 from the comfort of your home.
The tallest animal on the earth is strangely overlooked – the endangered giraffe https://t.co/P8voPRKiQO #conservation #discoverafrica pic.twitter.com/fkbJ1CZehc
— We Are Africa (@We_Are_Africa) February 13, 2017
Watch these safari videos featuring giraffe encounters in the video playlist below.
Guide to Giraffe Cams and Videos Online
On February 2, 2016, the Greenville Zoo live streamed the birth of a giraffe calf using EarthCam. You can watch that video below. The giraffe calf was born at 6:16 a.m. to parents Autumn and Walter.
Interactive Giraffe Cam at the Houston Zoo
The Houston Zoo features an interactive giraffe cam where viewers can use controls to zoom in and pan the habitat. Adobe Flash is required to operate the viewer and watch the live cam streaming online. The giraffe cam shows zoo visitors feeding the animals from the popular giraffe platform. There is a snapshot feature so if you see a giraffe in a picture or photo you want to save, you just click the snapshot button and your photo is saved in.jpg format. You can access the Houston Zoo giraffe cam here.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) Giraffe Cam
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, features a giraffe cam with crystal clear pictures. You can make the cam full size and enjoy the zoo from your laptop, desktop PC, mobile phone, tablet, or other devices. Right before the zoo’s opening and closing hours, the giraffes parade through the drawbridge to leave and return to their nightly habitat. You may watch the CMZ giraffe cam here.
Chester Zoo Giraffe Webcam Live
Located in Cheshire, England, the Chester Zoo giraffe webcam features the Rothschild giraffe. All giraffes and their subspecies are from Africa, but many of the giraffes in the U.S. are reticulated, like April and Ollie above. The Chester Zoo webcam is an opportunity to see Rothschild’s giraffes. Those who want to watch the cam live from the U.S. will need to account for the time difference. You can access the giraffe webcam here.
Roger Williams Park Zoo Giraffe Cam
The Roger Williams Park Zoo is located in Providence, Rhode Island, and is home to four Masai giraffes. You don’t have to be in Rhode Island in order to watch the giraffes. The zoo has set up a live-streaming giraffe cam that you may watch 24/7. The zoo also has an active Facebook page where you can interact with staff and ask any giraffe-related questions you might have.
El Paso Zoo Giraffe Cam
The El Paso Zoo, located in El Paso, Texas features a nice online giraffe cam that provides a comprehensive look at the giraffe habitat. There is a video archive on the official website where you can access previously aired videos on-demand. The zoo has a YouTube site where they share some of their webcam videos. You can watch videos of giraffes and meerkats captured from the cams in the video player below. View the giraffe webcam here.
Are you watching the live streaming giraffe cam hosted by the Animal Adventure Park? Are you awaiting the birth of April’s new calf?
[Featured Image by SherrodPhoto/iStock]