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After injury, zoo decides to pull April's 'Giraffe Cam'

Posted at 3:44 PM, Apr 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-17 22:54:11-04

Those hoping to follow the progress of April the giraffe and her baby calf might be disappointed to find out that officials at the Animal Adventure Park decided to discontinue the stream. 

The YouTube stream, which has been running almost continuously since February, has been viewed by millions of animal lovers. 

On Saturday, thousands tuned in to watch 15-year-old April give birth to her fourth calf. The male calf has yet to be named.

Related: Here's how to help name April's calf

On Monday, April injured her leg. The zoo said following April's injury that emails from concerned viewers to the Animal Adventure Park have caused the organization's servers to be bogged down. 

"April had a small twist of her leg today which has her favoring it. This is not unheard of in such long legged animals. Dr Tim was on site and all is well," the Animal Adventure Park said. "We appreciate concern but the bogging down of email servers and other platforms is the exact reason the giraffe cam will need be pulled."

The zoo said it appreciates the concerns of viewers, but it has affected operations.

Photos: Baby giraffes around the world

"It is interfering with normal park operations and preparation for opening; at a period when our resource of time is limited and cannot be hindered," the Animal Adventure Park said. 

As of Monday evening, the stream was still active.