April, the giraffe that became an Internet sensation in 2017 when the world followed her pregnancy via a live feed, has died, her caretakers have announced.
The 20-year-old animal was euthanized on Friday because of her worsening struggles with arthritis, according to officials with Animal Adventure Park Zoo. "We credit and thank the outstanding collective care provided by the park's veterinarians and animal care team with keeping April happy and healthy during her more than five year stay at Animal Adventure," reads a Facebook post by park officials. "Over the past year, accommodations were made and treatments performed, including yard substrate changes, installation of a state-of-the-art padded barn flooring system, coupled with farrier work, dietary and medical changes."
During her pregnancy, April's giraffe cam made Animal Adventure Park's YouTube channel the second-most viewed channel in the online platform's history. More than 1.2 million viewers watched live as April gave birth to her calf, Tajiri.