JOHNSON CITY, TN — It's been over a year since April the Giraffe gave birth to her baby calf Tajiri.
She gave birth the morning of April 15, 2017 at Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville, N.Y.
But for months people were watching... and waiting for April to give birth.
Millions of people watched as April gave birth to her soon-to-be-named calf, but for some...the camera wasn't just about April.
Many viewers on WBIR 10News' Facebook Live stream of April and Animal Adventure Park found a common bond as they passed the time watching. Between April's hay showers and feeding times, they spent time bonding with each other, talking about their favorite things, and helping others stay up-to-date with all the latest April updates.
As time went on, they even formed their own online group called "Friends of April the Giraffe and WBIR." By the time April's baby had arrived, that group had as many as 1,800 members. Today, it's nearly 2,000 and every person has their own story to tell about it including a pair of best friends: Lucy Rivera and Ann Cardwell.
"We watched April the giraffe for like two and a half months," Cardwell said.
She and Rivera were among the millions that watched the 10News live stream of April the Giraffe.
"I was awake. I was online. There was nothing interesting on Facebook," Rivera said.
"I basically ignored my husband for two and half months," Cardwell said. "I was on that for hours, all night."
They started messaging each other, then video chatting.
"We became family," Cardwell said.
But what happened next is what makes their story special.
"My husband and I were struggling," Rivera said.
She didn't have enough to buy her daughter presents for Christmas. So Cardwell and her husband stuck their necks out.
"I believe in paying it forward," Cardwell said.
"I started to cry when I found out she adopts families every year and she wanted to adopt my daughter for this year. I had never had anybody do anything like that ever," Rivera said.
And if that weren't enough for this true tall tale, in July, Rivera and her husband packed up their car.
And moved... from Florida to Tennessee.
"When I heard she lived here in Tennessee, I was like oh we gotta go," Rivera said. "We were always talking about getting a new life and starting fresh and this is the place we can do it."
And now they have, with a new best friend just down the road.
"Now if I need to talk to her, I don't have to call her, I can just go to her," Rivera said.
And there's another baby giraffe on the way.
"I can't wait. I can't wait to watch it. I can't," Rivera said. "I hope you're going to stream it again."