Overview
- Gracie, a 3- to 4-year-old reticulated giraffe, was located about four miles south of Cedar Hollow Ranch during an aerial search that the ranch manager and a pilot conducted Friday.
- Officials and the ranch said Gracie appeared unharmed and well fed when seen from the helicopter, with game-camera images and staff reports placing her near a pond and creek.
- The owner has contacted a veterinarian and is assembling a specialized team to immobilize, hood and move the roughly 1,200-pound giraffe using open and enclosed trailers designed for giraffes.
- Ranch managers plan to reinforce fencing at the rocky escape site after Gracie is returned, noting that anchoring posts there requires heavy work because of limestone ledges.
- The search highlighted how dense brush, rugged terrain and private property lines can hide large animals and how social media amplified sightings and some false reports during the two-week search.