Finally! April the Giraffe is Ready to Give Birth

Grab the congratulatory balloons! Internet star, April the giraffe, will likely give birth this weekend, the Animal Adventure Park team announced today.

The Harpursville, New York, zoo posted a Facebook update on April’s pregnancy this morning, saying:

The staff have been onsite with April all morning, Dr Tim was called and onsite within minutes. All observations, behavior, and predictions suggest a calf today, tonight – we would be shocked to get through the weekend without our newest addition. This is what we have all been waiting for! Keep April and our team in your positive thoughts.

Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch also appeared on Good Morning America live from the park today to encourage fans to tune in as the birth approaches. “April has progressed significantly overnight. Today is not the day to stop watching,” he said. “We are there. We are close. All signs are go.”

But don’t worry about April — she’s an ol’ a pro since it’s her fourth calf. “They instinctively hide the labor signs,” explains Patch, “because in the wild, if they were making it very clear that they were in labor, every hyena and lion would sit tight and wait for Mom to become vulnerable, so here in a captive management program, she’s hiding some of those signs. But once we are in full labor, it’s a quick process. It can be 30 to 60 minutes before we have a calf on the ground.” If only all moms were so lucky.

The pregnant giraffe has become a viral sensation since her caretakers created a livestream in February. Hundreds of thousands of people have watched her roam around her enclosure, nap and hang out with her baby daddy, Oliver, as she prepares to give birth.

Well, hopefully, the time has come! Perhaps she can try some spicy leaves or bounce on an exercise ball to really get things moving. You can watch the live cam here: