April the giraffe is showing increased signs of potentially pre-birth activity as carers prepare to intercept her fifth calf. The pregnant giraffe, which caused quite a stir online with her fourth pregnancy in 2017, is expected to give birth later this month. April’s carers at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, have now revealed the heavily pregnant giraffe is behaving in an unusual manner. April appears to be in overall good shape, with cramps, gas, calf movement and has a good appetite.
But the zoo said in its latest update the giraffe “zones out” from time to time and has begun to lift its tail.
Animal Adventure Park said: “April continues to advance, her size quite impressive.
“She continues to show interest in food items and is accepting of keeper veterinary inspection.
“We do observe periods of neck extensions, tail raising, and ‘zoning out’ – but could be due to a number of variables related to the pregnancy; calf movement, cramps, gas, etc.”
READ MORE: April the Giraffe cam: How to watch live stream sensation give birth
April’s teats are also showing strong signs of “development”, which for a giraffe is a good indicator of advanced pregnancy.
Giraffes, after all, are pregnant for up to 15 months at a time – one of the longest gestation periods in the animal kingdom.
The zookeepers said: “Mammary development os visible to the eye from a distance.
“Back end is quite swollen and continues to tease us with leakage and discharged traces.
“When will she go into labour? We simply don’t know and certainly have no prediction. Lesson learned.”
READ MORE: April the giraffe pictures: ADORABLE photos of the pregnant giraffe
April took the internet by storm when she surprised her keepers with a pregnancy in 2017, which went on for months.
Because Animal Adventure Park could not pinpoint when exactly the giraffe became pregnant, trying to predict when the giraffe would give birth was all but impossible.
As a result of the mystery, the world sat on the edge of its seat as 40 million people tuned in to watch the giraffe strut around via a webcam mounted in her pen.
April ended up giving birth to a male calf, named Tajiri, on April 15, 2017.
READ MORE: Why are 40 MILLION watching a live stream of a giraffe giving birth?
April’s YouTube live stream became an instant sensation and the craze to watch the pregnant giraffe is making a return this month.
Yvonne Rice wrote on the Animal Adventure Park Facebook page: “Love that this wonderful giraffe family can bring everyone from around the world together. Thank you, Jordan and your team.”
Lee Fitzgerald said: “Thank you for posting. April again teaches us about patience.”
And Wanda Gail Wilson said: “Come on sweetie you have our attention girl. I’m pulling out my April the giraffe t-shirts.”