Overview
- Gracie, a roughly 3–4-year-old reticulated giraffe that had been missing for nearly two weeks, was located about four miles from Cedar Hollow Ranch and taken back to the ranch after a planned capture operation.
- Veterinarians darted Gracie from a helicopter, then blindfolded, harnessed, reversed her sedation and led her into a custom trailer for transport with no reported injuries.
- Search efforts used helicopters, drones, game cameras and ground teams across a remote roughly 7,500-acre area and included a $5,000 reward for sightings before the animal was found.
- Cedar Hollow Ranch breeds and sells giraffes and other exotic species to private buyers and hunting or display operations, a practice critics say raises animal-welfare and oversight concerns.
- Real County authorities say escapes of exotic animals are common in the region and the rescue has renewed calls to examine fencing, transport practices and state and federal regulation of privately held exotics.