Much like wife guy, paralyzing dread, and Momo, April the giraffe is an internet star. The long-necked mama became famous when Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York, set up a live-cam to document her pregnancy and subsequent birth-giving in February of 2017. Unlike those other viral sensations, however, April does not bring pain; she brings only joy, sweetness, and baby giraffes from her insides. And now there will be another little one (baby giraffe from her insides) — and fast!
Animal Adventure Park reports that not only is April pregnant again — hooray — but she is advancing sooner than anticipated.
“Behavioral and physical changes are suggesting we are very much moving towards having a calf,” the park wrote in a Facebook message. “Perhaps sooner than end of March, as originally predicted based on keeper observations.” Incredible! Mazel tov to April; a tall, bright beacon in a dark world.
“Wax caps have been present, udders are developing/filling,” the park continued. “Star gazing behaviors were observed today and lack luster interest in feed. While we do not anticipate a calf this evening, tomorrow is another day.” A very poetic retelling of a giraffe’s state. It is not the first time I have thought that maybe I should have gone into some sort of animal … occupation.
The update is accompanied by this photo:
On the left side, a giraffe head. On the right side, well, some at the Cut are unsure. The photo’s close-up nature and the fact that it has gone unlabeled have provided some confusion. One has to imagine it shows udders that are “developing/filling,” but I make that guess without a great deal of confidence. Is this somehow the wax caps, which are what? What is the photo meant to tell us about April’s state? Why is it not labeled and why aren’t more people asking, among the 10,000 commenters in the comments section of the post, what is that and why? Are they so sure? Are we so dim?
We reached out to Animal Adventure Park and here is what they had to say:
This is the under shot of mammary development, the “udder.”
Oh. Okay. Turns out it was the udder.
