April the giraffe
April the pregnant giraffe showed "significant kicks and movements" on her left side before giving birth on the live cam. Courtesy of Animal Adventure Park, All Rights Reserved

April the giraffe is about to give birth… one day. The pregnant animal, who is being cared for at Animal Adventure Park in upstate New York, was supposedly 15 months pregnant when the zoo started to film her in February. Nearly two months later, there was no sign of a calf. The zoo gave up making predictions about when the baby would be born after they said it would come last weekend.

But with more than 1 million Facebook followers and at least 200,000 people watching the YouTube live stream at any time, they still continued to update their official page about April’s condition. They post a message in the morning and one in the evening.

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The morning update Wednesday was similar to the one from Tuesday night. “[The zookeeper] reports that April is in the same condition as reported on last night’s ‘Evening Update.’ We have a new photo of mammary development in comments section,” the park wrote. “Today should yield additional yard time, as temperatures hover at safe levels and the rain as subsided. Watch for a new enrichment item placed in the Stall today, courtesy of an April fan!”

For those who didn’t see it, Tuesday’s evening update read: “April continues to carry her great demeanor as you saw with Jordan, Corey, Joel and support staff today while cleaning the giraffe barn. She is big, udders are full, light discharge ----aaaannnnndddd that’s it! She looks, and is acting, great! Another day outside and we expect more time tomorrow!”

The zoo noted they would try to film April’s active labor, though she might not be positioned the right way when the calf comes. “Giraffe Cam will stay live through the labor and birth. We will not turn off unless instructed so by the vet team,” they said. “If she is facing the ‘wrong way’ -- don't worry we have many other cameras capturing the process and will provide content soon after birth.”

Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months, which is why April’s pregnancy has perplexed many. The zoo reported April was ready to give birth in February.

When the calf is finally born, it will stand at 6-feet-tall and weigh 150 pounds. The zoo will have a vote to determine its name.

Click here to watch April on the YouTube live stream.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

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