Missing Texas Giraffe Found Safe After Nearly Two Weeks

A 10-foot-tall giraffe managed to stay out of sight for nearly two weeks in the Texas Hill Country before searchers finally spotted her and brought her home.

Gracie, a roughly 3-year-old giraffe weighing at least 1,200 pounds, disappeared from Cedar Hollow Ranch near Leakey on June 12, according to the Associated Press.

Her owner said Gracie climbed onto a rock slab and slipped out on the wrong side of an eight-foot gate, giving her an unexpected route off the property.

A missing-animal alert was posted on a local lost-and-found app, and the unusual search quickly drew attention far beyond the area.

Within a day, Gracie’s disappearance had become an international story.

Searchers used trail cameras to try to locate her and later brought in a helicopter.

The internet also joined in, though in a less serious way.

People created humorous images showing Gracie working as a pool lifeguard, serving as a firefighter who did not need a ladder and floating down a lazy river on an inner tube.

Despite the attention, finding a giraffe in the Texas countryside proved harder than it might sound.

Nearly two weeks after she disappeared, a helicopter pilot finally spotted Gracie about four miles south of the ranch.

She was near a pond and a creek in an area where she had plenty of food.

Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson described the giraffe as “fat and happy.”

Crews were able to get Gracie into a trailer and return her safely to the ranch.

The escape also prompted a change at Cedar Hollow Ranch.

A taller fence is now being installed to help prevent Gracie from wandering off again.

The unusual case drew interest because of the simple question at its center: How does an animal 10 feet tall disappear for nearly two weeks?

In Gracie’s case, the answer appears to have been a combination of rugged terrain, distance, and access to food and water that allowed her to remain comfortable while searchers tried to track her down.

For nearly two weeks, the giraffe became a local mystery and an internet celebrity.

In the end, though, Gracie was found healthy and returned home, bringing the search to a happy close — and leaving ranch workers with one clear lesson about giraffe-proof fencing.