More than 1 million tune in for giraffe birth at Animal Adventure Park
HARPURSVILLE, New York (FOX 13) - More than a million people have watched as April the giraffe and her mate Oliver prepared to become a family of three at Animal Adventure Park, and at 9:53 a.m. the baby finally made its debut.
Animal Adventure Park says the giraffes are now the proud parents of a baby boy.
April's labor began around 7:20 a.m. Saturday, April 15. More than 1,200,000 people around the world watched the birth in real-time courtesy of the park's live stream, and hundreds of thousands more watched on Facebook Live feeds.
The park says this is the first calf there, and is April's fourth and Oliver's first.
"His entrance into the world was unnerving to even those of us who have witnessed animal births previously," Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch said in a release to the media. "After many months of pregnancy, both mom and calf are doing fine."
The park said weaning can take up to 14 months, so the baby is expected to stay with mom and Animal Adventure Park for at least the 2017 season. The park is said it will hold a contest to name the baby, but the details have not yet been worked out.
To learn more, visit www.aprilthegiraffe.com, www.animaladventurepark.com, or the park's Facebook page.
*WARNING: Some may find this video to be graphic. Viewer discretion advised.*
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