April is a 15-year-old giraffe about to give birth at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, NY. She's had four calves, this is her fifth. At the time of this posting over 60,000 of her fans are watching the live cam and cheering her on.
Anyone who has experienced labor should have no problem empathizing with April's pacing.
Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months. The calf's father is a 5-year-old bull named Oliver. (April has a penchant for younger guys!)
At birth, the calf emerges front feet first, then its head is born, and it drops about six feet to the ground, which serves the purposes of severing the umbilical cord and encouraging the newborn to breathe. The calf will typically begin to stand and walk within minutes of being born, and may be running by the end of the day!
The live cam was shut down briefly due to complaints that it was "sexually explicit" and "contained nudity."
It is probably safe to assume, however, that a well-dressed giraffe did not make the complaint. And birth, whether giraffe or human, is a beautiful and natural part of the life cycle, not associated with anything sexually explicit. Sanity prevailed, and the cam was put back up.
The cam is live at the time of this posting.
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