FREDERICKSBURG, Texas – A dramatic, high-stakes rescue operation in the rugged Texas Hill Country successfully ended the multi-week “walkabout” of a 16-foot, 1,600-pound giraffe named Gracie.

Gracie was located Friday morning after a helicopter crew spotted her around 7:30 a.m. Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson said Gracie was difficult to find because of the rugged terrain and dense vegetation in the Hill Country.

A trail camera southwest of her Cedar Hollow Ranch home in Leakey helped narrow the search area before ranch manager Vick Jones and pilot Jeff Hill of Concho Aviation spotted her from the air. Jones said Gracie escaped by climbing a steep, unfenced rock slab on the property.

Gracie escaped after being purchased as a breeding companion for a male giraffe named Geronimo, was then safely captured Monday following a complex, multi-agency mission that required helicopters, a custom-built chariot, and a tranquilizer dart deployed from the air.

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Dr. Pat O’Neil, a veterinarian at Pedernale’s Veterinary Center in Fredericksburg with 40 years of large-animal experience, led the recovery team. He described the operation as one of the most intense and exciting of his career, which includes roughly 250 giraffe mobilizations.

“She found herself a little oasis that she was living at,” O’Neil said. “She had water and all the food she wanted, but it wasn’t going to remain a safe environment for her.”

The rescue presented severe geographic challenges. Gracie had traveled into a remote, treacherous area defined by vertical cliffs, 45-degree slopes, dense brush, and boulder-strewn creeks. Because of her immense size, airlifting her out via helicopter was impossible.

“She’s too big to airlift, and it would not be safe for the helicopter crew,” O’Neil said. “Because of their anatomy and their anesthesia requirements, we had to have her standing.”

To facilitate the rescue, O’Neil’s team contacted Kevin Strawby, a local welder in Fredericksburg, who worked through the night to modify a 1960s-era open-top stock trailer. The team added four feet of height to the structure, transforming it into a specialized “chariot” short enough to clear low-hanging tree branches but tall enough to safely contain Gracie at chest height.

The operation commenced at 6:30 a.m. Monday. Utilizing two helicopters operated by Tango 82 Aviation, a Fredericksburg-based wildlife handling service, crews spotted Gracie in a canyon.

A tranquilizer dart was successfully deployed from a helicopter. Within three minutes, Gracie walked out of the canyon and laid down in a small, flat clearing – the only accessible spot along a narrow ranch road.

Ground crews immediately mobilized, navigating a Jeep and the custom trailer within 20 yards of the sedated animal. To keep her calm upon revival, handlers blindfolded Gracie, fitted her with a halter and lead ropes, and administered a reversal agent.

“It takes about eight people just to restrain her from when she goes to get up, because they wake up and they’re wild, and all of a sudden they’re confused,” O’Neil said. “I was amazed… she walked right in.”

The team loaded Gracie into the trailer within 10 minutes of her sedation. Ground crews equipped with chainsaws and tractors stood by to clear brush and assist if the trailer became stuck during the arduous eight-mile drive back to the main road.

Gracie was later cross-loaded into a standard giraffe transport trailer for a 30-mile drive back to her home pasture.

According to O’Neil, Gracie suffered no ill effects or scratches from her two weeks in the wild. Upon her return, she was reunited with Geronimo, who reportedly ran to the pen to greet her. Gracie is currently being held in a secure holding pen while ranch staff reinforce the perimeter fencing.

O’Neil expressed gratitude to neighboring landowners who permitted air and land access, as well as the specialized recovery crew.

“In this day, where there’s lots of bad news, it’s kind of fun to have one little bit of good news,” O’Neil said.