Internet users around the world spent countless hours waiting for April the Giraffe to give birth to Tajiri in 2017. I mean, millions and millions of people were glued to a live feed of a giraffe who was expected to give birth at any moment. Ok, so technically the birth itself brought in just over live viewers but, according to Wikipedia, the Youtube feed accumulated over two hundred times the amount of the birth as it happened live.

An estimated 1.2 million viewers watched the live feed of the giraffe giving birth on YouTube; the live feed was sponsored by Toys R Us and Babies R Us, as a play on that chain's mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. By the time the camera was shut off, the YouTube feed had accumulated 232 million views.

The calf that unfortunately died was not Tajiri but April's youngest calf, Azizi, who was just a year-and-a-half old. Azizi had been moved to East Texas Zoo and Gator Park after he began outgrowing his brother. The death was sudden and obviously unexpected but zoo officials were able to between the cause of death.

Post-mortem review revealed a twisted gut around his cranial mesenteric artery, which was ultimately the cause of his death.

You can find their note to zoo members and guests below.


JB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on TwitterInstagram, and Facebook.

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