Gracie, the young giraffe that captured attention across the Texas Hill Country after wandering away from Cedar Hollow Ranch earlier this month, has been found safe after nearly two weeks on the loose.
Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson announced Friday that an aerial search located the 3½- to 4-yearold reticulated giraffe about 4 miles south of Cedar Hollow Ranch near Leakey.
'Mr. Jones has contacted his veterinarian and is putting a team together to safely capture Gracie and bring her home,' Johnson wrote in a Facebook post announcing the discovery.
Ranch owner Vick Jones, with assistance from Concho Aviation, used helicopters and other aerial resources to locate the giraffe after days of searching rugged Hill Country terrain.
Gracie escaped the ranch June 12 after wandering through a gate and into a nearby canyon before making her way into the surrounding brush. The giraffe was last photographed on a game camera before disappearing into dense vegetation, prompting a multiagency search involving the Real County Sheriff's Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Real County Animal Rescue-Shelter.
A $5,000 reward was offered for information leading to her safe return.
The search briefly took an unexpected turn earlier in the week when media reports incorrectly stated Gracie had been found. Sheriff Johnson later clarified that the report was false and that the search remained active until Friday's successful aerial sighting.
According to Johnson, Gracie appeared to be in good condition when she was found. He later told media outlets the giraffe was 'fat and happy.'
The unusual search attracted national attention and sparked a wave of lighthearted social media posts throughout the Hill Country.
In Bandera County, businesses and organizations joined the fun with AI-generated images imagining Gracie around town. Bandera Electric Cooperative joked that the giraffe had been recruited to help with utility line work, Hyo Silver posted that she had wandered outside its storefront, and Bandera Brewery pictured Gracie relaxing in its beer garden.
The posts spread widely across social media as residents followed the search and hoped for Gracie's safe return.
Cedar Hollow Ranch, near Leakey, is home to hundreds of exotic animals, including giraffes, impalas, Nubian ibexes and bongo antelope. The ranch has housed giraffes for more than 30 years, and Jones previously said the steep terrain had typically kept them from leaving the property.
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