April, the giraffe who became an online star, dies

April, the giraffe who caused a stir when a rural New York zoo live streamed her pregnancy and childbirth in 2017, was euthanized on Friday due to the progression of arthritis, the zoo said.

“She is a precious member of our family, and as we knew that day would eventually come, our hearts ache,” Jordan Patch, owner of Animal Adventure Park, said in a statement.

The 20-year-old giraffe started showing signs of mobility issues last summer, and veterinary imaging showed she had arthritis in her feet and problems with her left hind leg, veterinarians said. zoo in a statement. They noted that animals as large as giraffes can deteriorate quickly due to arthritis.

They said they rolled out joint supplements, pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, padded flooring, diet changes and April clogs to try and slow the progression of the disease, but her mobility continued. to decrease and she began to spend a lot more time lying down. Imaging in March showed “significant and progressive degeneration” of the joints in the lower leg, vets said.

“The severity of his condition exceeded our ability to control April’s comfort,” they said.

Giraffe life expectancy statistics vary. A giraffe at the Knoxville, Tennessee Zoo, believed to be the oldest in the country, was euthanized at 31 in 2019.

April drew a huge audience online as she carried her fourth calf in 2017 to the private zoo in Harpursville, a village about 209 miles northwest of New York City. The giraffe cam became the second most watched live stream in YouTube history, at least at the time, with over 232 million views and 7.6 billion minutes of live viewing over several months.

At least 1.2 million people have watched the little male, ultimately named Tajiri, being born – and rightly so – in April.

An online fundraising campaign raised more than $ 150,000 for the care of April, his companion and the calf. Other projects – including a Toys ‘R’ Us sponsorship of the YouTube feed, monetized texting and a clothing line – have also made money at the zoo. The owners said it would be used for the upkeep of the zoo, the conservation of wildlife in Africa and local children with unforeseen medical bills.

“The impact of April on the conservation and appreciation of animals is both immeasurable and lasting,” Patch said Friday.

But People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals criticized the zoo for turning April’s breeding into an internet event.

“The tragedy here isn’t April’s death – it’s that she’s never known a life without spectators or live cameras,” said the animal rights group’s supervising veterinarian, Dr. Heather Rally.

April had another baby, Azizi, in March 2019, with over 300,000 people watching live on YouTube. He died at a Texas zoo last October.

Animal Adventure Park said she was put on contraception to opt out of the breeding program after birth.

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