A young giraffe named Gracie has been missing for almost two weeks, causing a challenge in locating her after she escaped from Cedar Hollow Ranch in Texas. The owner, Vic Jones, mentioned that Gracie ventured into an area within the ranch that other giraffes typically avoided, complicating the search efforts.
Despite deploying helicopters and receiving several sightings, the search for the three-year-old giraffe has proven difficult due to the vast and remote terrain of Real County where the ranch is located. Vic reassured that Gracie being in heavily wooded and rough lands meant that she posed no threat to people.
This incident marks the first time one of Vic’s giraffes has gone missing, although he has dealt with escaped animals in the past. Texas not being a natural habitat for giraffes, Vic believes Gracie can find adequate food and is unlikely to face danger from other wildlife.
The search initially covered around 7,500 acres, but subsequent sightings indicated that Gracie had moved further south. However, the delay in search team arrivals based on information made the search challenging.
A reward of $5,000 (£3,600) is still being offered for anyone who assists in safely bringing Gracie back home. In a separate incident, two missing baby giraffes from a Virginia zoo were found and relocated to a specialized facility dedicated to giraffe care after disappearing during an investigation into animal abuse allegations.