April the Giraffe gives birth at zoo in New York
HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (KGO) -- After much anticipation, April the giraffe gave birth at a New York zoo as hundreds of thousands of viewers watched a livestream of the moment.
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The camera feed, watched live by at least 1.2 million people on YouTube, shows the proud mama's pen at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, a rural village in upstate New York.
April, who is 15 years old, had the baby with Oliver, a 5-year-old giraffe, according to Animal Adventure. This is Oliver's first calf, but April knows the drill - this will be her fourth.
VIDEO: Watch April the Giraffe give birth
April was pregnant for 16 months, just over the normal gestation time for a giraffe. When she finally gave birth, her calf's front hooves came out first, followed by the snout. He or she is expected to weigh around 150 pounds and will stand about 6 feet tall.
April will raise her calf naturally, and weaning could take between 6 to 10 months, maybe longer. Oliver, however, will not assist in raising the calf. Male giraffes, according to Animal Adventure Park, "only really care about two things - fighting and the unmentionable."
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So because of fears of inbreeding, the calf will be relocated to another facility once the weaning process is over.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
