A bit of fun and exciting news for all those animal lovers out there: April the Giraffe from New York’s renowned Animal Adventure Park gave birth to a male calf over the weekend, and from what we can gather, the newborn appears to be healthy!
Image Credit: Animal Adventure Park (Facebook)
April was pregnant for approximately 15 months before going into labor, and the golden moment finally came about at 12:45 P.M. Eastern time on Saturday. According to park employees, the calf got up and started walking by 1:27 P.M. Medical teams swooped in to conduct a mandatory health assessment on the calf and his mother shortly after.
"Success! With an average 15-month gestation, we are thankful to have a healthy calf on the ground, nursing, and bonding with mom," commented Jordan Patch, owner of Animal Adventure Park. "With wild giraffe numbers plummeting annually, every calf born counts."
Related: There are actually four different giraffe species, genetic analysis confirms
Animal Adventure Park provided incremental updates concerning April’s birthing situation on its Facebook page and even live-streamed the spectacular event on YouTube, garnering thousands of views in the process. Another video, which we’ve embedded below, gives the public a way to view the calf and its mother in their enclosure:
The park has not yet named the calf and is currently asking the public for help with name suggestions. Notably, the unnamed calf isn’t April’s first; instead, it’s her fifth. April’s last calf, Tajiri, was born just under two years ago and with the help of the same father – a male named Oliver.
April’s momentum doesn’t appear to show any signs of letting up, leading many to believe that she could give birth to additional calves in the future. Furthermore, she and Oliver appear to be an excellent match for one another, and so Oliver might be the best fatherly candidate for said calves.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognizes the humble giraffe as vulnerable on the organization’s Red List of Threatened Species, noting that species’ population trends are following a downward curve. With that in mind, it’s nice to see another giraffe brought into the world.
Related: Rare leucistic giraffes have been spotted and filmed in Kenya
If you’re not already following Animal Adventure Park on Facebook, the park is regularly publishing updates about the calf and his status. You can also subscribe to the park on YouTube to see their live feed.
Source: USA Today, IUCN, Animal Adventure Park (Facebook)
