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Boy or Girl? Text Alerts to Deliver Gender of April the Giraffe's Calf
For the many millions of internet viewers who are checking YouTube (or Live Science) daily to see if April the pregnant giraffe has had her calf, the vigil continues — when the sun rose this morning (April 3), the big-bellied giraffe was still pregnant.
However, April's many anxious fans can now subscribe to receive text alerts when April goes into labor — and for the first disclosure of whether the newborn is male or female.
The announcement of the calf's gender will be made after its birth by a text alert system, revealing the big news hours in advance of an official press release, representatives of Animal Adventure Park (AAP), the facility in Harpursville, New York, where April is housed, reported April 3 on Facebook. [Baby Watch! 'Giraffe Cam' Tracks Expectant Mother]
While viewers have expressed concern on social media about April being past her due date or in distress, there is no cause for alarm, according to April's veterinarian "Dr. Tim," who described exactly what people should not be worrying about, in a post shared April 2 on Facebook.
"No, she isn't late; no, she isn't overdue; no, I'm not concerned she is 'taking so long', nor should you be," he said.
But there were also some positive answers to curious queries.
"Yes, she remains happy and comfortable (considering the circumstances). Yes, she will have this calf when she is good and ready," the veterinarian said.
He agreed that it is going to be "awesome" when the baby finally does arrive, even if right now the mother giraffe "just isn't quite ready to give the world what it wants," he said on Facebook.
April's fans can sign up for real-time updates about her condition and the delivery of her baby for $4.99 on the AAP website.
Original article on Live Science.
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Mindy Weisberger is a science journalist and author of "Rise of the Zombie Bugs: The Surprising Science of Parasitic Mind-Control" (Hopkins Press). She formerly edited for Scholastic and was a channel editor and senior writer for Live Science. She has reported on general science, covering climate change, paleontology, biology and space. Mindy studied film at Columbia University; prior to LS, she produced, wrote and directed media for the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Her videos about dinosaurs, astrophysics, biodiversity and evolution appear in museums and science centers worldwide, earning awards such as the CINE Golden Eagle and the Communicator Award of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in Scientific American, The Washington Post, How It Works Magazine and CNN.