It may seem absurd that more than a million people all across the globe patiently waited for the birth of a baby giraffe, but that's exactly what happened when April the giraffe finally gave birth to her baby calf last Saturday at a New York Zoo. More than a million viewers tuned in to the live stream of April's birth, breaking the internet with the great news.
According to the Associated Press, a live stream of April's enclosure has been streaming since February. People all over the world patiently tuned in for her birth, and on 7:00 a.m. ET, April 15, she began her labor and gave birth shortly before 10:00 a.m. ET.
The baby calf was a male, he is April's fourth calf but the zoo's first one. Animal Adventure Park is a privately owned zoo in Harpursville about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of New York City. Oliver, April's mate, can be seen watching the entire event in a pen near April.
April became famous in February when YouTube canceled her live stream feed for a short while after some complaints from animal rights activists. It was restored shortly and is even sponsored by ToysRUs.
In a statement made by Jordan Patch, Animal Adventure Park owner, through NBC News, he said: "His entrance into the world was unnerving to even those of us who have witnessed animal births previously. Giraffes give birth standing up, which means when the calf is ready to be born, it exits its mother hooves first from six feet off the floor, making for a very exciting event."
April's birth broke the internet for a day and even became trending on Twitter. A naming contest is actually in the works to help name April's baby calf.
In the last three decades, the giraffes' population in the whole world declined by 40 percent, making them a vulnerable species. They are currently protected all across the globe and hunting them is against the law.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
