Overview
- Searchers located Gracie during an aerial scouting mission on Friday, June 26, about four miles south of Cedar Hollow Ranch in Real County after roughly two weeks on the loose.
- Officials and the ranch manager described Gracie as in good condition and standing near water and ample vegetation when she was seen from the helicopter.
- The ranch owner has contacted a veterinarian and is assembling a team to sedate, hood and move Gracie into a giraffe-sized trailer for transport back to the ranch.
- Ranch staff used helicopters, drones, game cameras and public tips during the search, which generated wide online attention and some false AI-generated sightings that officials had to refute.
- The case highlights practical challenges of keeping large exotics in the Texas Hill Country, where rugged limestone terrain and dense brush help animals survive and make permanent fencing and anchoring difficult.