April the giraffe has gained much attention over the past several months as fans grew excited over her pregnancy. Her due date was originally mid-February, but it was not until April 15 that the baby giraffe finally arrived. Giraffes typically have pregnancies lasting anywhere from 13 to 15 months, so it was not too surprising that April gave birth past her due date.

According to Inquisitr.com, “April is a 15-year-old Reticulated giraffe who lives at the Animal Adventure Park (AAP) in Harpursville, New York with her mate, 5-year-old Oliver ‘Ollie.’”

A live streaming camera, sponsored by Toys R’ Us, was set up in her enclosure at the park to allow viewers to learn more about the pregnancy of a giraffe, and it became extremely popular after fans learned that she was late. So far, the live stream has gotten over 18,000,000 views.

Over a million people around the world witnessed April giving birth. The baby, a boy, was born around 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. According to Yahoo News, Jordan Patch, the owner of the zoo, said, “Giraffes give birth standing up, which means when the calf is ready to be born, it exits its mother hooves first from six feet off the floor, making for a very exciting event.”

The baby giraffe reportedly stood up 45 minutes after being born, and both mother and baby have been doing well since.

Animal Adventure Park had created a GoFundMe page to raise money for animal care and to improve giraffe facilities, and they expect to launch another soon in support of the new calf.

According to the Huffington Post, “Animal Adventure Park has also announced plans to hold a naming contest for the new giraffe.” People will be able to vote on a name by donating one dollar. The Huffington Post said, “The zoo says they will split the money between giraffe care and donations to giraffe conservation efforts.”
Animal Adventure Park is currently closed, but they are expecting to open again mid-May.