HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — The Latest on a male calf born to April the giraffe at a New York zoo (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
The male calf born to April the giraffe is nursing well and has had his first vet checkup.
Animal Adventure Park posted on its Facebook page Sunday that the calf weighs 129 pounds (58.5 kilograms) and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall (1.75 meters).
April gave birth to her fourth calf Saturday. The zoo is in Harpursville, New York, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of New York City.
The zoo team said April has recovered “perfectly” and is eating “everything in sight.”
Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months on average, and the wait for April to give birth had raised global interest, with a livestream and a fundraising drive. The zoo says there will be a contest to name the newborn.
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12:35 a.m.
The wait is over for April the giraffe and her legions of fans.
Before an online audience of more than a million viewers, April gave birth to a healthy male calf Saturday at the Animal Adventure Park in New York
The 15-year-old giraffe delivered her calf shortly before 10 a.m. EDT in an enclosed pen at the zoo in rural Harpursville.
The newborn stood up on his wobbly legs about 45 minutes after he was born. He began nursing not long after.
At least 1.2 million people watched the Adventure Park’s YouTube streaming of the event. Zoo owner Jordan Patch says both mom and calf are doing fine.
The newborn is April’s fourth calf but Animal Adventure Park’s first giraffe calf. The proud papa is a 5-year-old giraffe named Oliver. This is his first offspring.
