Gracie, a young reticulated giraffe native to several eastern African countries, disappeared from Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey — a town of about 700 residents about a two-hour drive west of San Antonio — nearly two weeks ago. The animal, estimated to be between three-and-a-half and four years old, had been known to wander, according to ranch manager Vick Jones.
“This giraffe, like none of the others ever did, she would walk around,” Jones told the New York Times.
Jones told the Times that Gracie had wandered off into hilly grassland after she “came down on the wrong side of the gate” while reaching up to eat leaves from a tree. He said he put up a $5,000 reward and hired helicopters and drones in the search, according to San Antonio’s CBS News affiliate KENS.
The Real County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release during the search asking residents to watch for Gracie, including a detailed description of the animal’s distinguishing features — notably her “rounded ears” — to avoid confusion with any other wandering giraffes in the area.
Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson told KENS that he chuckled when he first received the missing giraffe report but took the case seriously.
“It found a way outside of the high game fence and after that it’s been on a fling just enjoying the more rugged parts of Real county,” Johnson said. He noted that the area has predators, including mountain lions and coyotes, that could harm the animal. “She’s a big animal,” he said.
News of Gracie’s safe return came late Tuesday in a short report posted to the website of a San Antonio news station, which said she had been found alive “a little farther out than expected” from the ranch. The newspaper did not offer details on the location or circumstances of the discovery.