missing giraffe – Real County officials are searching for Gracie, a young giraffe missing from Cedar Hollow Ranch near Leakey, Texas. The Real County Sheriff’s Office says Gracie vanished after climbing rocks to escape, and her owner is offering a $5,000 reward.
When Gracie the giraffe slipped out of Cedar Hollow Ranch in Real County, Texas, the escape didn’t look like a typical animal break—at least not to the sheriff now leading the search.
A precocious young giraffe, Gracie has been missing since she vanished from the ranch, about a two-hour drive outside San Antonio. The Real County Sheriff’s Office said she was last seen on a game camera west of the city of Leakey.
In a June 22 announcement, the sheriff’s office urged the public to look out for a big giraffe with rounded ears and asked anyone who finds Gracie to contact authorities. The same announcement said Gracie’s owner is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to her safe return.
The search is moving fast, but the terrain is not forgiving. Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson said Gracie has not been found as of June 24, despite rumors circulating online.
“In almost 30 years of being a lawman, this is my first escapee giraffe,” Johnson said. “In almost 30 years of being a lawman, this is my first escapee giraffe,” he added, pointing to how unusual the case has been even for a county with landowners keeping exotic animals.
How a giraffe escaped
Gracie is one of three giraffes at Cedar Hollow Ranch and was a new addition to the tower, the term Johnson used for a pack of giraffes.
Johnson said Gracie didn’t behave like a normal giraffe. Instead of staying around the ranch where she was fed, she foraged on higher terrain and climbed rocks to escape.
The ranch does have a high game fence, but Johnson said a fence wasn’t considered necessary everywhere because of the topography, since giraffes typically don’t climb rocks.
“She decided to climb the rocks and get out,” Johnson said. Since then, he described Gracie as “out on a fling, enjoying the countryside of Real County.”
Gracie may be nearby—yet hard to catch
Since she got out, Johnson said Gracie has been spotted on multiple game cameras at surrounding ranches in Real County. But by the time those ranch owners noticed and someone went looking, she had gone.
Johnson said the search could be frustrating because Gracie could be anywhere, but he is confident she is still within Real County or neighboring Uvalde County.
To find her, Gracie’s owner has been deploying drones and hiring helicopters. Johnson described the area as about 900 square miles of rugged terrain, calling it the “Swiss Alps of Texas.”
The sheriff said there are reasons to worry about her safety. Predators in the region include mountain lions and coyotes. There is also the risk that Gracie could fall on a rock or into a canyon and break a leg.
If Gracie is found, the next problem will be bringing her in without harm. Johnson said a search team may try to lure her into an enclosure using food, or it may have to use a dart to sedate her.
“Eventually we’ll find her,” he said. “It’s not like someone’s going to just pick her up and leave with her.”
What to do if you see her
Anyone who sees Gracie is being asked to contact the Real County Sheriff’s Office at 830-232-5201.
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