An event almost 16 months in the making is going down right this moment at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, New York. Internet phenomenon April the Giraffe gave birth to her much-anticipated calf just moments ago and more than a million people gathered to watch it live and simultaneously say together: “Push!”
On February 10th, the park began streaming April’s every move live and she picked up a loyal following of people checking in on her. At one point, YouTube pulled the video down over erroneous complaints of “nudity and sexual content” but once the stream was restored, the audience only got larger—proving once again that if you tell the internet that it can’t have something, it’ll only want it more.
And now, the wait is over. April went into labor this morning and after a couple of hours, she gave birth to what appears to be a healthy young calf. It’s unclear what sex the offspring is and staff appear to be giving the mother and child some space for the moment. Oliver, the father, watches on from the background.
In case you missed it, the moment of birth is embedded below along with the livestream. There’s still more to come. The calf is already attempting to stand up and newborn giraffes are often able to begin running on their first day after taking the six-foot plunge from their mother’s womb.
It’s a great moment for giraffes everywhere. The species is currently listed as vulnerable and in the last 30 years, their population has declined by 40 percent. Now, the world has one more of these bizarre and loveable animals. Congratulations, April!