What to Know
- April has captivated tens of millions of people across the world who have been checking in on her via the live stream
- The long-necked beauty gave birth to a healthy male calf just before 10 a.m Saturday
- The calf was the first born at Animal Adventure Park, and the zoo says it will hold a contest to name it
At birth, April the giraffe's baby boy is already a tall drink of water.
The giraffe calf that was anxiously anticipated by live stream viewers around the world got a thorough checkup from a vet on Sunday, his second day of life.
The adorable little guy stands 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 129 pounds, Animal Adventure Park reports. His weight dropped in the first 24 hours, which is typical, the zoo said.
A photo shows the as-yet unnamed baby towering over the veterinarian and keepers. The upstate New York zoo plans to hold a contest to name him.
U.S. & World
April is also recovering well and eating heartily, her keepers report.
After months of waiting, April gave birth Saturday in Harpursville, New York, while an audience of about 1.2 million people watched live online.
The calf's spindly legs wobbled as he attempted to stand on its own. But shortly before noon, the zoo shared an adorable photo of April nuzzling him while he stood beneath her trying to nurse.
"All is well," the caption reads.
April teased her millions of global adorers for weeks, showing signs of near-but-not-quite labor and otherwise enchanting her audience with cute right-at-the-camera gazes and tongue flicks, snack noshing and nuzzling with her much younger but handsome 5-year-old beau.
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April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines in late February 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.
Patch said the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process was a huge factor in drawing crowds.
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"I think the fact that she's a giraffe and she's a neat species that people are interested in, that's fostered a lot of the attention," he said. "The fact that you'll get to witness the miracle of birth from an animal that you really don't get to see give birth — that's neat."
He added that April's pregnancy was more than just live entertainment, but a teachable moment and source for education.
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