This is What’s Trending Today.
Millions of people have been eagerly waiting for April, a giraffe living at a zoo in New York State, to have her baby. Viewers were rewarded on Saturday: at about 10 a.m. April gave birth to a male calf.
The birth was filmed and shown live on YouTube. About 1 million people watched it. (Note: advance video to 3:18:46 to see birth.)
The zoo first posted live video of pregnant April in her pen on YouTube in late February. People who object to zoos complained to YouTube, which took down the video. But stopping the video attracted even more interest.
After investigating, YouTube returned the video and allowed it to remain online.
The New York Times called April “an internet star.” Millions of people have checked on April at some point in the last two months. At its peak, April’s live camera on YouTube had almost 5 million viewers per day.
But after a while, many people wondered if the baby giraffe would ever be born. Some even proposed April was not really pregnant.
One fan said he followed April’s story for 10 weeks.
David Chase used Facebook to write: “I’ve been watching 10 weeks, who says guys can’t commit?”
After the birth, many people just simply wrote: “Finally!”
The zoo said the baby and April are doing fine. The calf weighs 58.5 kilograms and is just under 1.8 meters tall.
The calf stood up about 45 minutes after he was born.
The zoo, called Animal Adventure Park, is located about 200 kilometers northwest of New York City. It is currently closed but fans of April and her new baby will be able to visit when the park re-opens in mid-May.
The zoo has not yet announced the calf’s name.
And that’s What’s Trending Today.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a story from the Associated Press. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.
Did you think the baby giraffe would ever be born? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
eager – adj. very excited and interested
calf – n. the young of various other large animals (such as the elephant or whale)
complain – v. to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something
commit – v. to decide to give your love, support, or effort to someone or something in a serious or permanent way
peak – adj. at the highest point or level
