This giraffe birth livestream is driving the internet insane

April the giraffe is expected to give birth any minute now! Seriously! Any minute!
 By 
Brian Koerber
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The internet may occasionally come to your rescue, but it is not patient.

Earlier this week, viewers rallied around a YouTube livestream of a pregnant giraffe named April waiting to give birth at the Animal Adventure Park in New York. The stream was briefly taken down following explicit content reports from pranksters, but under pressure from the web, YouTube quickly reinstated it.

CARD ID: 171440

Apparently the old saying that "no press is bad press" stands true, because the stream, which probably would have gone unnoticed by the majority of the internet, got major attention after the controversy. That was Thursday, it's now Sunday and April the giraffe has yet to give birth.

Sorry April, but the Oscars is on tonight and the internet is starting to get impatient.

CARD ID: 171434

CARD ID: 171436

CARD ID: 171435

CARD ID: 171431

CARD ID: 171438

CARD ID: 171439

CARD ID: 171437

CARD ID: 171433

CARD ID: 171432

The zoo did warn the internet that this may happen, however. When the stream was initially pulled, zoo owner Jordan Patch held a Facebook live to explain the situation. At the end of the video, he reset the internet's expectations.

"It's a very natural process, and we can't put timelines on that," Patch said on Thursday. "Timelines are human invented. Animals and nature will do everything on their timeline."

Patch then explained that the labor process can take two to six hours, or sometimes it can take days.

The zoo also updated its Facebook page Sunday morning with the hashtag #GiraffeWatch2017, and attempted to shut down any rumors that she had already given birth or that the whole thing was a marketing ploy.

CARD ID: 171441

The zoo said it will announce the birthing process as soon as it knows it's happening for sure, and it explained why April may not look like she's in labor yet.

Please remember - we will not announce active labor until calf hooves are visible. Naturally, giraffes hide signs of labor - as to not alert every predator around, that they and a new calf will be vulnerable to attack. However, once we are final stages of the labor - the process is quick. Visible hooves- to - calf on the ground, can be as short as 30 minutes!

Topics YouTube

photo of brian
Brian Koerber

Brian was the Culture Editor and has been working at Mashable on the web culture desk since 2014.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney has the internet in a chokehold
Paul McCartney on September 9, 1963

Bad Bunny's Grammys pause is now the internet's go-to reaction meme
Bad Bunny Grammys 2026 reaction meme

The Muppets have always known how to break the internet
Disney’s “The Muppet Show” stars Sabrina Carpenter and the original Muppet cast

Bad Bunny's Super Bowl halftime show stuns the internet
Bad Bunny during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

The internet is rooting for this abandoned baby monkey and his stuffed animal
a baby Japanese macaque monkey

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!