Gracie, a nearly 4-year-old reticulated giraffe, is back at Cedar Hollow Ranch near Leakey after spending two weeks on the loose in the Texas Hill Country.
Vick Jones
After two weeks on the loose in the Texas Hill Country and a search that captivated the internet, Gracie the giraffe is finally back where she belongs.
The nearly 4-year-old reticulated giraffe returned to Cedar Hollow Ranch near Leakey on Monday after a carefully coordinated recovery effort involving veterinarians, a helicopter crew and ground teams. By about 11 a.m., Gracie was safely back inside her enclosure.
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The Real County Sheriff’s Office announced the successful recovery on Monday morning.
“Thanks to a lot of excellent preparation and a flawless execution of the recovery plan, our Gracie is home safe and sound!” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “Thanks for all the prayers and support for her and for the staff of Cedar Hollow Ranch.”
A carefully planned rescue
Gracie was first located Friday during an aerial search after spending nearly two weeks roaming the rugged ranchland of Real County. Rather than immediately attempting to recover her, ranch manager Vick Jones said the team spent the weekend preparing a carefully coordinated operation.
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“We had to do this in two stages,” Jones told Chron. “One stage was to find her to make sure she was OK.”
Gracie the giraffe was located during an aerial search Friday after two weeks on the loose in the Texas Hill Country.
Vick Jones
Once Jones confirmed Gracie was healthy, had access to food and water and was in a remote area where she wasn’t likely to be disturbed, the focus shifted to bringing together the people and equipment needed to safely recover her.
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“It kind of takes what I guess you could say a village to go get her,” he said.
The recovery involved a veterinarian, a specially modified trailer, a helicopter crew and ground teams.
Jones said Gracie first had to be tranquilized so crews could safely place a harness on her before transporting her back to the ranch. Gracie woke up on the specially modified pasture trailer before making the trip home.
“We opened the gate and put her into the giraffe enclosure,” Jones said.
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Despite nearly two weeks in the wild, Gracie returned in remarkably good condition.
“She’s in beautiful shape,” Jones said. “Everything good, no scratches, nothing on her. She’s in great shape.”
He said Gracie does not currently need any additional veterinary care.
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The ranch is now installing fencing to prevent another escape.
From local search to internet sensation
Gracie’s disappearance began after she wandered into an area of the ranch where Jones said none of the ranch’s previous giraffes had ever ventured, eventually coming down a hillside on the wrong side of a gate.
The search quickly became an international story, drawing coverage from major news outlets and inspiring countless memes, AI-generated images and false sightings online.
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Gracie the giraffe escaped from a ranch near Leakey two weeks ago.
Real County Animal Rescue
Asked what surprised him most about the ordeal, Jones didn’t hesitate. “How crazy the internet blew up,” he said.
Jones said he only contacted the Real County Sheriff’s Office hoping local ranch workers or landowners might spot the missing giraffe.
“I told the sheriff’s office if there was a good chance I’d known this was gonna happen I wouldn’t have asked for any help,” he said. “I didn’t intend for this to happen, but it happened.”
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Now that Gracie is safely home, Jones said he’s feeling mostly relief.
“It’s been a little bit stressful,” he said, “but a lot of relief that everything went right and everything went good and we got her there safely this morning.”