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April the Giraffe is expecting a calf!
Follow the process as she and her mate, Oliver, welcome a new baby.
Animal Adventure Park
Harpursville, NY
www.TheAnimalAdventurePark.com
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdventurePark/
Have some Fun & Support the Park with our Giraffe Emojis! Proceeds directly return to the Park!
http://www.giraffemoji.com/
Our Giraffe Cam is sponsored by Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition.
Post pregnancy nutrition is important, so Mazuri is gifting 100s of pounds of food to keep April on her A-Game!
Thank You Mazuri!
http://www.mazuri.com/
Inspired to sponsor our Giraffes? We have a safe platform form gifting linked below:
https://www.gofundme.com/ApriltheGiraffe
THINGS TO KNOW:
April is 15 – her 4th calf
April has never lost a calf nor had a stillborn – odd rumor
Oliver is 5 – his 1st calf
They have some of the biggest pens in the nation (sq ft per animal). We take pride in our indoor housing and the level of enrichment and care to keep them happy and healthy.
The calf will weigh around 150lb and will be about 6′ tall at birth.
The front hooves will come out first followed by the snout.
Mom will naturally raise the calf, with weaning could take between 6-10 months, maybe longer. We will not rush this process – it is just a documented range of captive weaning.
Once the calf is born, we will have a contest to name it.
The keepers will go in with April, clean her pen, give her treats (but not Oliver). He is a bull – and a bull is a bull is a bull!
Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months
Upon naturally weaning, the calf will move on to another facility to start a breeding program there. We cannot retain offspring, as it would lead to incestuous mating and undermine the genetics of the program and species.
Those “things” on their heads are called ossicones.
Bulls (male giraffes) only really care about two things- fighting and the unmentionable….
Oliver may share space with April, but for short periods. Bulls take no part in rearing young.
They eat hay and specialized giraffe diet but love romaine lettuce and carrot treats.
April’s water source, enrichment, and solo hay feeder are out of sight of the camera view.
This is Animal Adventure’s first giraffe calf.
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