The latest internet sensation, April the Giraffe, is expecting a calf. It will be her fourth.
The 15-year old giraffe is drawing a lot of attention to the Animal Adventure Zoo in Harpursville, NY.
The Stream
A videostream from her pen at the zoo went live on Wednesday, and as of this writing, has over 75,000 current viewers. Vice even wrote about the stream saying, "You can watch one of the world's goofiest mammals pop out a baby and be distracted briefly from the growing hellscape that is our current world."
The stream was briefly removed from YouTube on Thursday after animal rights activists labeled itexplicit.
The Chat
A live chat that had originally accompanied the stream was discontinued after the zoo felt it had strayed from its original purpose: to educate. Before it was turned off, some comments said things like "did i miss anything" and "My gosh, it is taking a long time."
When Is The Calf Coming?!?
Those YouTube users don't even know what April has endured. She has been waiting the long 15 month gestation period for her baby to be born, and the calf is expected at any moment.
Calf Stats
The zoo says the calf will weigh 150 pounds and stand 6 feet tall when it's born. It will come out hooves and snout first before falling from its mother to the ground.
The baby will then live with April for 6 to 10 months before moving to a new facility. According to the zoo, it must be moved to avoid incestuous mating.
The zoo is planning a contest to name the calf, but no contest details have been officially announced. They continue to post updates about April's labor on their Facebook page.