HARPURSVILLE, NY — Rejoice, April the giraffe has finally given birth.
Animal Adventure Park in New York announced Saturday morning that April was in active labor. Over 1.2 million people were watching the live stream during the birth.
Fans have been following the pregnant giraffe since February, when Animal Adventure Park announced that April should be giving birth soon.
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And so the wait began. Fans watched the YouTube live stream and shared their anticipation on Facebook. April the giraffe merchandise was sold. Toys R Us sponsored the livestream. Mazuri, a feed company, donated food. As the days and weeks dragged on and no sign of the calf, April became late night talk show fodder and inspired countless memes. Some people even thought that the whole thing was a clever April Fools' Day joke.
But April 1 passed, and no calf. It wasn't until April 15 that the calf, a male, made his much-anticipated appearance.