Texas Ranch Seeks Lost Giraffe
A 3-year-old giraffe named Gracie was discovered by helicopter on a private ranch in Texas after being on the loose for two weeks. She wandered away from her unfenced area at Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, on June 12.
The 1,200-pound giraffe, standing at about 10 feet tall, was spotted early Friday morning in a secluded wooded region roughly four miles south of the ranch. Vic Jones, the ranch manager, mentioned that Gracie had recently arrived in May but was still acclimating to her surroundings.
Jones speculated that Gracie probably was not trying to escape; she might have been exploring a new feeding area within the ranch that she hadn’t accessed before, which inadvertently led her beyond the gate.
Gracie shares the property with another giraffe. “It’s just one of those things that can happen,” Jones remarked, adding, “She unintentionally ended up outside, even though no giraffe had ever ventured there.” To help locate her, he posted a missing notification on a local app, hoping ranch workers might spot her. Surprisingly, it quickly gained widespread attention online.
After Gracie was located, Jones contacted a veterinarian and started making arrangements to guide her back home. “She seems to be doing well, just standing there and wagging her tail,” he said, noting her gentle nature and the absence of any harm.
Interestingly, the post about Gracie caught fire on social media, inspiring creative AI images that showed her as a lifeguard or even floating down a lazy river. “I really learned what it means to go viral,” Jones joked.
Ultimately, Gracie was found near a stream with ample foliage to munch on. When it’s time for her to return, she will be sedated for the journey, initially in an open-air trailer before moving to a more enclosed space.
The Texas Hill Country, known for its diverse exotic animal population, has previously received requests to search for lost monkeys and zebras, but never a giraffe. As a precaution, Jones is now planning to install a fence around Gracie’s enclosure.
