Gracie the giraffe, who escaped from a private game ranch in rural Texas and was missing for nearly two weeks, was found safe on Friday just a few miles from the ranch, authorities confirmed.
Discovery and Confirmation
An aerial search located Gracie, described as “the wandering giraffe,” according to Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson. In a Facebook post, Johnson announced the successful end of the search, which began on June 12 when Gracie wandered out of her enclosure at the Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, a town of about 700 residents located two hours west of San Antonio.
Gracie, a reticulated giraffe native to eastern Africa, had captured widespread internet attention. Johnson's office had issued a news release asking citizens to be on the lookout, listing her distinguishing features to avoid confusion with other local animals.
Search Efforts and False Alarm
Cedar Hollow Ranch manager Vick Jones offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Gracie’s return and hired helicopters and drones for the search, as reported by San Antonio’s CBS affiliate KENS. Hopes were falsely raised on Tuesday when the website for San Antonio’s NBC affiliate WOAI prematurely reported that Gracie had been found safe. However, Sheriff Johnson quickly corrected the record, stating, “The giraffe has not been located. It’s still at large.” The station later retracted the story, citing unconfirmed information. Johnson attributed the confusion to “idiots in their pajamas in their mother’s basement on the internet with nothing else to do.”
Safe Recovery
Shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday, Johnson posted a genuine update confirming that aerial search efforts by Jones and Jeff Hill of Concho Aviation had located Gracie. The giraffe was found about four miles (6.4 km) south of Cedar Hollow Ranch, nestled among shrubs on spartan terrain. Johnson's post included overhead photos of Gracie. “Mr Jones has contacted his veterinarian and is putting a team together to safely capture Gracie and bring her home,” Johnson wrote. According to WOAI, Johnson reported that Gracie was “fat and happy” when found and had a “catch me if you can, suckers” attitude.
