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'Significant Movement' in April the Giraffe's Belly, Zoo Says as Thousands Remain Glued to Live Stream

Tens of millions of people across the globe have tuned into the live stream in anticipation of the birth of April's fourth calf

What to Know

  • Tens of millions of people worldwide have been watching the stream in anticipation of the birth of "April" the giraffe's fourth calf
  • Her story was vaulted into global headlines after activists complaining of "nudity" got the live stream yanked from YouTube last week
  • The live stream was back online about an hour and a half after the brouhaha started

There's been a lot of kicking in the belly of everyone's favorite pregnant giraffe April, the upstate New York zoo that's been monitoring her health and updating her millions of fans said in a daily update.

"Watch closely for strong kicks from within!" the Animal Adventure Park posted Wednesday night. The Harpursville zoo said that April hasn't changed much physically but that there has been "significant movement once again in the belly."

A cold front moving into the northeast on Thursday and the zoo suggested this might "shake things up." Other than the belly movement, April's keeper and vet also documented "increased tail raising and holding," as well as "periods of increased movement/pace" Wednesday night. 

Her condition was pretty much unchanged Thursday morning, the zoo said, adding that there was "a lot of behavior that had us on our toes but no acknowledgeable active labor at this time."

Over the last week, April has captivated tens of millions of people across the world who have been checking in on her via the live stream in anticipation of the birth of her fourth calf. 

Some 60,000 people were tuned in to the stream at the crack of dawn Thursday. The graceful giraffe appeared calm and collected as she picked at stray pieces of hay and stretched around to scratch a back itch. Watch it above.

The zoo, which unveiled April-inspired emojis and t-shirts as the fan base for the 15-year-old long-necked beauty continues to swell, said twin Barbados lambs and a Patagonian Cavy were born early Wednesday.

"Babies babies everywhere!" the Animal Adventure Park posted Wednesday morning. "Just not yet in the giraffe barn."

April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines last week after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's live stream following complaints by animal activists that it violated the site's policies concerning "nudity and sexual content." Thousands upon thousands of commenters voiced their frustration on Facebook and YouTube, and the stream was restored within an hour or so. 

Giraffe pregnancies last for 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Once April goes into active labor, zookeepers will go in to help her the rest of the way. The calf will be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.

The zoo said it will hold an online competition to name the baby giraffe once it's born.

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