What to Know
- April the giraffe gave birth to a male calf on April 15 at Animal Adventure Park in rural Harpursville, 130 miles northwest of NYC
- The baby has been named Tajiri, a Swahili word that means hope.
- The zoo is bracing for a flood of visitors after April's pregnancy became the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history
As moms worldwide were honored for Mother's Day Sunday, thousands scribed well wishes to one of the most famous new parents of late: April the giraffe.
Animal Adventure Park, the upstate New York zoo home to the global giraffe sensation, posted a photo of April and her baby boy Tajiri along with some other zoo babies on Facebook Sunday, wishing all a "Happy Mother's Day."
More than 6,000 people shared the post and thousands posted special warm wishes to, as one commenter called her, "dear, sweet and funny April."
Meanwhile, the ever-expanding troupe of adoring fans now has the chance to see April's baby, Tajiri (Swahili for "hope), in person. The Harpursville zoo had to postpone its opening day, which had been scheduled for the weekend, because of bad weather, but officially opened to the public on Monday.
The zoo is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
April the giraffe gave birth to Tajiri on April 15 at the privately owned zoo. It was her fourth calf, but the first for proud new dad Oliver.
Visitors are expected to flood the zoo for its fifth season after April's pregnancy became the second most live-viewed channel in YouTube's history, with more than 232 million live views during a seven-week period.
