Gracie the giraffe who wandered off in Texas found safe – for real this time
After nearly two weeks, the missing giraffe Gracie has been found alive and well in rural Texas, several miles from the ranch she escaped.
The search for a giraffe who absconded from a private game ranch in rural Texas and effectively went missing for nearly two weeks ended successfully on Friday, when authorities confirmed she was found safe just a few miles away. Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson announced in a Facebook post that aerial searches had pinpointed the whereabouts of Gracie, dubbed "the wandering giraffe."
Gracie wandered out of her enclosure at the Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, a town of about 700 residents two hours west of San Antonio, on June 12. The story of a reticulated giraffe—a species native to eastern Africa—vanishing in the Texas hill country spread widely online. Johnson's office issued a news release asking citizens to keep an eye out, even listing Gracie's distinguishing features.
Ranch manager Vick Jones offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Gracie's return and hired helicopters and drones for the search, according to San Antonio's KENS. Hopes were falsely raised late Tuesday when a local news site reported Gracie had been found, but Sheriff Johnson quickly corrected that, calling the misinformation the work of "idiots in their pajamas in their mother’s basement on the internet."
Shortly before 10 a.m. on Friday, Johnson posted a genuine update: aerial search efforts by Jones and Jeff Hill of Concho Aviation had located Gracie about four miles (6.4 km) south of the ranch. Photos showed her nestled among shrubs on sparse terrain. "Mr. Jones has contacted his veterinarian and is putting a team together to safely capture Gracie and bring her home," Johnson wrote. He told WOAI that Gracie was "fat and happy" with a "catch me if you can, suckers" attitude.
