Baby watch: Viewers tuning in to watch birth of baby giraffe
For more than a week now, tens of thousands of people from across the country have been tuning in to watch the impending birth of a baby giraffe at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York.
Fifteen-year-old April was reportedly due to deliver the calf — her fourth and her mate Oliver’s first — in mid-February. So many observers have been glued to the computer screen for nearly 10 days now. I must confess that I’m among the giraffe watchers, though I’ve only been viewing the live footage occasionally — not 24/7 like some people claim to be doing.
I can’t quite explain the fascination involved in watching the giant creature meander around her stall for hours and days on end, but there’s no denying it exists. More than 85,000 people were online watching April throughout the day on Monday.
“All is well in the barn,” the Keeper’s report said Monday morning. “April is eating breakfast this morning and body condition remains as day prior. Continued movement of baby inside, and big baby kicks are noticeably obvious. Through the evening April had to find her right positioning to feel comfortable to lay down, which is evidence of continued growth and position change of the calf. Do not be concerned, it is natural and worked out by mom on her own.”
Animal Adventure Park has also revealed some interesting facts about giraffes. For the most part, giraffes eat hay, along with a specialized giraffe diet, though they love romaine lettuce and carrot treats. April also has easy-access water and enrichments.
Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up — they even sleep and give birth standing up. Much like human fingerprints, no two individual giraffes have exactly the same spot pattern.
That’s just some of the unique traits that makes watching April so interesting.
“Giraffes are such beautiful animals,” live feed follower Jan Lutz said. “I saw many in the wild in Tanzania in August 2013. They’re so fun to watch.”
Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months. A single calf will weigh around 150 pounds and will be roughly 6 feet tall at birth. The front hooves will come out first, followed by the snout.
So that’s what thousands of people have been watching and waiting for — the sight of two little front hooves poking out the backside of April. It’s certainly been a reminder that patience is a virtue that many of us don’t seem to have.
“I’ve seen grass grow faster,” Chelsea Hammer said online about April’s labor.
Witnessing a live birth is a pretty amazing thing, so I think people are extremely excited about that prospect. Every year, my family and I welcome baby goat kids into the world, and it never gets old to see the live birth process. Seeing the birth of a majestic animal such as a giraffe might be a once-in-a-lifetime event for some people, which could speak to the curiosity and popularity involved.
“What did we ever do before live video?” Carol Bates said while chatting with other people online.
Whatever the reason, it’s been an interesting phenomenon to see so many people care about a captive animal. That type of heightened attention hasn’t been recognized since Harambe the gorilla had to be killed for safety reasons after a 3-year-old boy climbed into the gorilla enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
“I’ve been watching April 24/7 (except when I’m sleeping) since last Tuesday or Wednesday morning,” follower Annie Sichley said. “I have really learned a lot about giraffes in the last week. I am fascinated with their sleep habits and am amazed that they only require about 30 minutes per day — the shortest requirement of any living mammal.”
Sichley was also impressed with the sheer size of giraffes. An average female is 15 feet tall and weighs 1,800 pounds, while a male is 16 feet high and weighs 2,600 pounds.
“I’ve noticed that April is such a good girl,” she said. “She seems pretty patient and easy going, even when Oliver comes in and heads straight for her food. She wants to rub on him and he wants her food. Typical Boy. LOL.”
A female giraffe naturally raises the calf herself, taking between 6-10 months or longer to wean. Once the baby giraffe is weaned, it will be moved to another facility to start a breeding program there. The new calf is the first at Animal Adventure Park.
Sometime after its birth, there will be a contest to name it. Part of the money donated to possibly name the giraffe goes to children with special needs.
“I think the giraffe should be named ‘Unity’ because it has brought everybody across the Internet together to watch it being born,” Melissa Hammel said.
Of course, it hasn’t been revealed yet whether the calf is male or female, so there are a lot of potential names out there that might be fitting for the newborn. Personally, I think the name should be Vera or Averi if its a girl, and Rio or Leo if it’s a boy. Those four names are created using the letters from both April’s and Oliver’s names. Simple and sweet.
Judging by April’s demeanor, the calf should be arriving very soon as she appears to be quite uncomfortable as she’s pacing around her stall. She frequently raises her tail and also stands with her back legs apart, which makes me think she’s definitely feeling the pain of contractions. All of us who have been watching this week are ready I’m pretty sure. After a long, 15-month pregnancy, I think April is ready, too. Even soon-to-be father Oliver has suddenly begun pacing around.
“Does anyone else find yourself holding your breath for long periods of time when she pops her tail up and just stands there?” Annie Jaennette said. “I can tell I have had kids.”
Just before handing off this column for its deadline, I checked to see how many people were currently watching and realized the number had jumped up to 97,044. All I can say is, “Wow.”
To find the live feed is easy — all you have to do is Google “giraffe giving birth” and you’ll find one of the many links.
COMMENTS