Like tens of thousands of other people, I got a little caught up in the excitement of April the giraffe giving birth. The live webcam went up so early, it started to seem like they were streaming the goings-on in her pen far too early. Was she even pregnant? Had she lied to her much younger partner Oliver about the baby? It was the animal world’s little soap opera courtesy of the Animal Adventure Park and YouTube.
More than one-million people were watching live when April finally gave birth to a healthy male calf on Saturday. It was beautiful and disgusting. Beautiful to see this calm mother gently welcoming her baby into the world. Disgusting because, well, it just is. That’s a reality of nature! The calf was standing within an hour, looking gangly and adorable.
Now comes the contest to name the new baby boy. Anyone who makes a one-dollar donation via the park’s new web page HERE is eligible to submit a name. Six will be selected for a final vote. Their original GoFundMe effort had a goal of $50,000 and raised more than $130,000. People love these giraffes.
Oliver is finally a Daddy at the age of five and the new bundle of joy is April’s fourth. Once he’s weaned, in about a year, he will be sent to live at another facility. Giraffes are on a watch list for endangerment and they’re being spread around the world to go forth and multiply.
This is the live birth video. I recommend advancing to about 3:15, unless you want to watch a giraffe walk around for three hours with two hooves sticking out her hoo-haw.