A giraffe who disappeared from her home at Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, on June 12 has been located safe and sound.
Gracie, who disappeared from her unfenced habitat, was found by searchers in a helicopter early Friday about four miles away from the ranch, Fox News reported.
Ranch manager Vick Jones said Gracie was moved to the location in May but had not become accustomed to the area yet, noting she had been feeding in a new area of the ranch and tried to return on the wrong side of the gate.
A $5,000 reward was offered for her capture and return while numerous people searched for the unmistakable creature, according to KENS 5.
Finally Real County Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson announced Friday that Gracie had been found.
“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. Mr. Jones has contacted his Veterinarian and is putting a team together to safely capture Gracie and bring her home,” he wrote.
The post included photos of Gracie in the Texas brush:
The giraffe was described as a gentle creature who would not harm anyone but had a tendency to run away if she was approached.
Crews located her near natural water sources and she had plenty of food to munch on in the area.
“We found her. She’s fat and happy. We’re going to have to bring in a team and sedate her so we can move her. She had a ‘Catch me if you can’ attitude,” Johnson stated, according to News 4 San Antonio.
He also said she was able to hide in the deep canyons and foliage that made it hard to spot her.
“Texas Hill Country has one of the largest concentrations of captive exotic animals in the U.S. and Johnson said in the past he’s had calls for lost monkeys and zebras but no giraffes,” the Fox report noted. “Despite requiring jackhammering through rock, Jones said he now plans to put a fence around Gracie’s enclosure.”
