A giraffe is on the loose in Texas after escaping from a breeding facility a week and a half ago.
Gracie, a 4-year-old reticulated giraffe with rounded ears, fled Cedar Hollow Ranch in Real County, Texas, the facility’s manager Vick Jones told NBC News. Cedar Hollow Ranch is a private exotic animal breeding facility that is home to hundreds of animals, including Nubian ibexes, antelope, impalas, and other animals native to Africa and the Middle East.
The giraffe reportedly vanished after feeding on an isolated hillside and finding an unfenced area opposite an 8-foot-tall gate. Jones said the giraffe would walk around the ranch “like none of the others did,” adding that Gracie would go to secluded areas and “eat on the tree limbs.”
The last official sighting of the giraffe was taken on a hunting camera west of Leakey, Texas, which sits about 100 miles northwest of San Antonio.
Jones stated that the animal is likely in the “rough terrain” that surrounds the southern Texas area, and that she most likely is still safe and healthy.
“There’s a lot of food out there for her to eat. There’s plenty of water,” Jones said.
Reticulated giraffes around Gracie’s age are about 14-16 feet tall and can run up to 35 mph in short bursts, according to the Denver Zoo. The species of giraffe is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ Red List.
The disappearance of the giraffe made waves on the internet, with many users creating fake AI-generated videos of sightings of Gracie, My San Antonio News reported.
In one AI-generated photo, a giraffe is seen surrounded by police while trying to cross a Texas highway at dusk.
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“No, she has not been found. That’s just people having fun with the internet, getting their little one minute of fame,” Jones said as of Wednesday morning. Jones added that the giraffe is still missing, with no new clues on her location.
Gracie’s owner is offering a $5,000 reward for tips leading to the giraffe’s capture and safe return, Real County officials said. People who see the giraffe are asked to report it to the sheriff’s office at 830-232-5201.
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