Giraffe on the Run in Texas for 8 Days

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STRAWN, TX – The escaped giraffe-turned-national sensation finally returned to Cedar Hollow Ranch on Monday, two weeks after she first made headlines for fleeing her enclosure and subsequently evading authorities for some time. After Gracie was spotted on Friday, June 26, on a nearby property, the quest to retrieve her and bring her home began on Monday, June 29.

Spearheading the operation was Dr. Pat O’Neill, the owner of Pedernales Veterinary Center in Fredericksburg, Texas, who was also involved in Gracie’s initial transport to Cedar Hollow Ranch months earlier. First, Gracie was “remotely darted” from a helicopter, and sedation kicked in about three minutes afterward. Her rescue team ensured she fell in a “safe, good spot,” from where they were able to transfer her to a trailer. Gracie was restrained and blindfolded for the duration of her journey home.

The entire process of getting Gracie home safely took roughly seven hours, O’Neill added. He credited the successful mission to “a lot of prayers and a lot of good luck.” Now, Gracie is back home with her friend, a 12-year-old giraffe named Atlas, said Vick Jones, who owns Cedar Hollow Ranch. He told the San Antonio Express-News that Gracie is more or less in a time-out — at least until Jones can build a fence tall enough to hold her.

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