A giraffe named Gracie went missing from a remote private ranch in Real County, Texas, on June 13. Authorities said on Friday that Gracie the giraffe was seen looking “fat and happy” mere miles from her home while she was on the run.
Real County Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson announced the discovery in a Facebook post Friday morning. “Gracie the wondering Giraffe has been found!” he wrote. “Early this morning, Vick Jones, of Cedar Hollow Ranch, with the help of Jeff Hill from Concho Aviation, was conducting aerial searches and has located Gracie the Giraffe about 4 miles south of the Cedar Hollow Ranch.”
Johnson told News4 San Antonio that when 3-year-old Gracie was found during an aerial search, she had a “catch me if you can sucker’s attitude.”
Read more: Missing Texas giraffe, Gracie, found? Latest update after animal escaped from Cedar Hollow Ranch
‘She’s in good shape’ – Update on Gracie
The Real County Sheriff’s Office stated that Gracie’s owner, 72-year-old Jones, had partnered with an aviation company to search for the missing mammal. The giraffe was spotted about 4 miles south of her enclosure.
She was found within a half-mile of a pond and creek and had an abundance of foliage to eat, according to Jones, who also noted that she seemed to have been there for roughly a week.
It took some effort to get the 10-foot-tall giraffe to the Cedar Hollow Ranch, which is located roughly 100 miles west of San Antonio. To sedate Gracie and return her to the property, officials are working with the owner’s vet
The Real County Sheriff’s Office said, “Mr. Jones is assembling a team to safely capture Gracie and bring her home after speaking with his veterinarian.”
Jones confirmed her condition in two words: “She’s in good shape. She’s standing there, swishing her tail.”
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How did Gracie go missing?
Cedar Hollow Ranch sits approximately 100 miles west of San Antonio in the Texas Hill Country. Gracie arrived at the ranch in May, making her one of the newer residents.
Jones believes Gracie never intended to leave. He said, “She wound up going up and feeding in an area on the hillside and the rocky ledges that none of the other giraffes had ever gone on before. And when she came down off of there, she came down on the wrong side of the gate.”
According to reports, there was no fencing around the location. Before Gracie strolled in, no one had considered the necessity of jackhammering through rock to place posts to build a fence.
Jones said that Gracie will stay in the main giraffe cage until the fence is constructed.
Extensive search for Gracie
Jones launched helicopter searches over an initial area of about 7,500 acres with no luck. A few days later, a reported sighting placed Gracie to the south. By the time they reached the area, she was already gone.
“If you move toward her, she’s taking off,” Jones said.
For information that resulted in Gracie’s arrest and safe return, the ranch also offered a $5,000 reward.
Jones had previously said he’d lost other exotic animals over the years, wildebeests, water buffalo, monkeys, and zebras, but this was his first giraffe.
