TEXAS HILL COUNTRY — Gracie the Giraffe was recovered near Leakey, Texas, on June 26, 2026, after she went missing for approximately two weeks. Ranch owner Vick Jones and local authorities located her about 4 miles south of her enclosure in the Texas Hill Country during an aerial search.

After being spotted shortly before 7 a.m., Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson confirmed the giraffe's location. Jones contacted a veterinarian to assemble a team for her return to the ranch. Veterinarians sedated Gracie and placed a hood over her eyes.

The 10-foot-tall giraffe, who weighs at least 1,200 pounds and is approximately 3 years old, was found within half a mile of a pond and a creek with vegetation on private property where no one resides. Jones stated Gracie appeared to have been in that area for about a week. "She's in good shape. She's standing there, swishing her tail," Jones said. "We didn't bother her. She's got water. She looked in really good shape."

Gracie was moved from her location using an open-pasture trailer to a taller, enclosed trailer designed for giraffes. The search efforts involved a helicopter due to parts of the area being inaccessible by car. Gracie was last observed on a game camera in an area west of Leakey, Texas. She had escaped after moving into a rocky area and ending up on the wrong side of a gate.

Jones stated that the area where Gracie escaped was not fenced because giraffes had not previously accessed it. He plans to install a fence in that area. Gracie arrived at the ranch in May and will remain in the ranch's giraffe enclosure until the new fence is installed. There are two other giraffes on the property, which is home to hundreds of animals, including impalas, Nubian ibexes, and an antelope from Central Africa.

Sheriff Johnson stated this was the first reported missing giraffe in the area. "I've had wildebeests, I've had water buffalo, I've had monkeys, I've had zebras, all go missing. Sometimes we recover them, and sometimes we don't," Johnson said. The ranch offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Gracie's safe return.