April the giraffe is pregnant again
If you’re not currently live-streaming the Giraffe Cam for Animal Adventure Park on YouTube, do it. Like, right now. You won’t want to miss the latest saga of April the giraffe, a viral sensation who won our hearts last year during her pregnancy. Fifteen-year-old April became an Internet celeb as millions of fans anxiously waited months … and months … for the expectant mama to give birth to her fourth calf.
It wasn’t until April 15 that her calf, Tajiri, was born, welcomed by over two million viewers stuck to their screens in anticipation of the joyous occurrence. Tajiri, which is Swahili for “hope,” weighed 129 pounds and stood five feet nine inches tall at birth. Can you imagine?
Now for a grand announcement! “The results are in and we are having a baby,” said Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch on NBC’s “Today”:
Big news from @AprilTheGiraffe… she’s pregnant AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/R56iyQjXJx
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 25, 2018
The father of this calf is Oliver, the seven-year-old mate of April who is also the father of Tajiri.
According to Patch, a female giraffe is typically pregnant for 15 months. However, gestation periods for giraffes can vary. April has been pregnant for 20 months previously, and was so for 16 months with Tajiri. On “Today,” Patch said that we can most likely expect a March birth. However, we won’t know the gender until the new calf is born.
While this new bundle of joy is great news for April, it is excellent news for the giraffe population as a whole, which has declined by 40 percent in the past 30 years. Moreover, seven species have gone extinct. “Every calf counts,” Patch explained. “Every calf born in the program means something.”
Tajiri celebrated his first birthday in the month of April, when nearly 50,000 people jumped on a live stream to watch the young giraffe celebrate with a special cake.
Congratulations to the mom- and dad-to-be!