Quick Take
- Someone claimed Gracie had been safely returned to the ranch, but Real County officials had a very different story. See the debunked report →
- Drones and game cameras have all been deployed, yet a 15-foot giraffe still can't be found. Follow the ongoing search →
- Predators aren't the biggest threat to Gracie's survival out in the Texas Hill Country terrain. Explore the real dangers →
- The sheriff has dealt with escaped wildebeests, monkeys, and zebras before, but Gracie's case is a first for a very specific reason. Why this escape is unique →
Wild animals occasionally escape from their enclosures. While smaller animals are often difficult to track down because they can hide easily, larger animals can be just as challenging to locate. This is currently the case with a giraffe on the loose in Texas, prompting the question: What happened to Gracie?
Gracie the Giraffe Is on the Loose
A Texas-based giraffe disappeared on June 18, 2026, and her owners are no closer to finding her than they were two weeks earlier.
Gracie the giraffe is on the loose. The giraffe had been living on Cedar Hollow Ranch in Leakey, Texas, since May. According to Vick Jones, Cedar Hollow Ranch’s manager, Gracie tended to wander the property more than other giraffes, but there was no concern that she would escape.
Gracie the giraffe walked away from Cedar Hollow Ranch on June 18, 2026.
©Gracie the Giraffe / Real County Animal Rescue-Shelter / Facebook – Original
However, after reaching an unfenced area of the property, Gracie wandered away.
On June 21, it looked as though Gracie might have a chance of returning home. Game cameras captured images of Gracie west of Leakey. However, even with the use of drones, Gracie has yet to be spotted.
Gracie is described as a three to four-year-old giraffe with “rounded ears.” No other distinguishing marks were provided.
Threats to Gracie’s Safety
Although Gracie is a large animal, being outside the fenced property poses risks—not only from predators, according to Johnson, but also from the challenging terrain.
“We have mountain lions, we have other animals, a lot of coyotes, and there are predators out that can harm her although she’s a big animal,” Johnson explained to KENS.
In Texas, predators such as coyotes and mountain lions could pose a threat, particularly if Gracie were injured.
©Rich Lindie/Shutterstock.com
Johnson added that the rugged terrain could cause Gracie to suffer serious injuries, which would make it even harder to find her.
“A shelf could break off. We have some issues where she could fall,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot of caves and sinkholes. She could break a leg.”
Apart from the game camera sighting on June 21, there have been no further signs of Gracie.
Gracie’s Reported Return Was Nothing More Than a Hoax
It was reported on June 23, 2026, that Gracie had been found and returned to Cedar Hollow Ranch. However, news outlets that reported this information later retracted it after multiple agencies in Real County confirmed the claim was false.
Gracie, similar to this giraffe, has not been found despite reports to the contrary.
©Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.com
“The giraffe has not been located. It’s still at large,” Real County Sheriff Nathan Johnson explained to The Guardian. “It’s frustrating, and it’s more appalling that there’s people who have no idea what they’re talking about, putting things on the internet as if it was fact.”
Jones told NBC News that Gracie will continue to be searched for “until we get her home.”
“Everybody in the whole world seems to be looking for her.”
Giraffe Escapes Are Not Common
Exotic animals have gotten loose over the years from ranches and sanctuaries. However, Nathan Johnson, the sheriff of Real County, said that this is the first time a giraffe has gone missing in the area.
“We’ve had wildebeests and monkeys and zebras and other things go missing off game ranches, and eventually they show up at feed or somewhere, or you know for the most part they do,” Johnson explained to KENS. “We just never had a giraffe.”
Giraffes escaping their enclosures is not a typical occurrence.
©iStock.com/Simplyphotos
Giraffe escapes are not common. Instead, human error or poorly maintained fencing are usually the main culprits behind giraffes getting out of their enclosures. In this particular case, Gracie made her way to a spot in the enclosure where she was enjoying some leaves. While she was grazing in the grassland, she “came down on the wrong side of the gate” and entered an area that was not enclosed by the ranch’s eight-foot fences. That is when Gracie wandered off.
It has been two weeks since Gracie was last seen. However, hope has not been lost that Gracie will be found.
Cedar Hollow Ranch is offering a $5,000 reward for credible information that brings Gracie home. Leads can be directed to Vick Jones at (830) 279-5822 or the Real County Sheriff’s Office at (830) 232-5201.
