Giraffe still on the loose in Texas after escaping ranch

LEAKEY, Texas - A giraffe is on the lam after escaping a Texas ranch Monday.

What we know:

According to a Facebook post made by the Real County Animal Rescue-Shelter on Monday, the giraffe named Gracie disappeared from the Cedar Hollow Ranch. 

Vick Jones, who manages the ranch, told FOX Local on Wednesday that Gracie escaped the ranch on June 12.

"We released her into the canyon. She actually started going up and feeding in an area we'd never had giraffes feed in before. It's up on a rock slab, just a limestone slab. And he goes up the hill and went up over the mountain," said Jones.

Gracie was last spotted on a game camera west of Leakey, according to the post. Jones said he thought those images were recent, but they turned out to be from last week.

"I just thought whatever some of the locals out on the ranches, people that work on some of these ranches might would see it and or hear about it and give me an idea, you know, which way she might have gone. You know, 24 hours later, it's all over the world," Jones said.

What they're saying:

Jones said he's contacting neighboring ranches and asking them to keep an eye out for the missing giraffe. He said that effort has been complicated because many of those ranches don't have people living on them full-time.

Jones said they have had giraffes at the ranch for at least 30 years. He said Graice wandered into a part of the ranch where the giraffes hadn’t gone before and was able to get out of a gate.

What you can do:

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture and safe return of Gracie. 

Anyone who has seen the giraffe should contact Jones at 830-279-5822 or the Real County Sheriff's Office at 830-232-5201.

TexasPets and Animals