HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. — April the giraffe is showing a change that usually happens just prior to birth, her keepers said Tuesday, further heightening the anticipation surrounding the animal’s looming labor.
“Progression! The udder continues to fill. Giraffes do not ‘bag up’ with a full udder in the sense of a cow, dog, goat, sow. Their udder is very subtle and tucked between the legs. The development occurs, generally, just prior to birthing,” Animal Adventure Park said in its morning update.
“… Here forward, we are most concerned with this area and will gauge our status from it, until a hoof is waving hello!
April’s behavior and appetite are “on point” as she moves toward labor, the zoo said. This is her fourth calf, and the first for her 5-year-old mate Oliver.
On Monday, the zoo said April’s growing belly had become still, indicating a possible “calm before the storm.”
The zoo in upstate New York has been livestreaming a view of April’s pen since early February, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers every day.
Shortly after it first went live, the video was taken down after viewers flagged it as “sexually explicit.” The image was restored and the zoo said the birth will be shown live for educational purposes.
