April the giraffe is no fool and neither is her soon-to-be-born calf.
As hundreds of thousands of people watched, the mama giraffe waited patiently for April Fools' Day to pass without giving birth.
For those who are worried about missing their chance to witness the miracle of giraffe birth, the upstate New York zoo where April lives created a text alert system to notify fans of active labor. It costs $4.99, plus messaging fees apply.
"April continues to ignore her grain, zones in and out of awareness, exhibits soft contraction indications, and is even producing manure size and consistency hinting of a birth," the zoo said on Facebook Saturday evening. "Our big girl is comfortable, confident, and continues to keep her composure - better than the rest of us!"
Nearly 150,000 people watched her wildly popular livestream at 7 a.m. Sunday as April and her beau Oliver basked in the morning light that streamed into their pens.
The vet is watching for behavior including lifting each leg, pinning her ears, dazing off and raising her tail, the zoo said.
April already held out longer than her keepers anticipated. The upstate New York zoo had predicted a calf by Friday.
"We would be shocked to get through the weekend without our newest addition," the Animal Adventure Park wrote. "The staff have been onsite with April all morning, Dr Tim was called and onsite within minutes. This is what we have all been waiting for!"
Watch the live stream below.
When April goes into active labor, the baby's front hoofs will be the first to come out, followed by the snout, the zoo says.
Mom will naturally raise the calf on her own, and weaning could take between six to 10 months, maybe even longer -- the zoo says it won't rush the process. Once weaning is over, the baby giraffe will move on to another facility to start a breeding program there.
"We cannot retain offspring, as it would lead to incestuous mating and undermine the genetics of the program and species," the zoo says.
This is 15-year-old April's fourth calf. It'll be the first for Oliver. He won't take any part in rearing the calf, though. Male giraffes, called bulls, really only care about two things, the zoo says: "fighting and the unmentionable."
"He is a bull -- and a bull is a bull is a bull!" the zoo says.
April's pregnancy was catapulted into global headlines late last month after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's 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.
Jordan Patch, owner of the Animal Adventure Park, says the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process has been a huge factor in drawing crowds.
"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're gonna 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 is not just live entertainment, but a teachable moment and source for education. This is the zoo's first giraffe calf.
Giraffe pregnancies last up to 15 months. Labor lasts anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The calf, which will be the first born at Animal Adventure Park, will be about 150 pounds and 6 feet tall at birth and up and walking in about an hour.
The zoo said it will hold an online competition to name the baby giraffe once it's born.
Photo Credit: Animal Adventure Park YouTube
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