Gracie the Giraffe, who was on the loose in Texas Hill Country, found safe, authorities say

REAL COUNTY, Texas -- A giraffe that made national headlines is one step closer to returning home after she wandered away from her owner's Texas ranch, according to authorities.

Gracie the Giraffe was reported missing on Monday afternoon by the Real County Sheriff's Office. A post by the sheriff's office described Gracie as having rounded ears, and reported a $5,000 reward for information leading to her capture and safe return. A game camera west of the town of Leakey showed Gracie wandering the Hill Country brush.

On Friday afternoon, more than 72 hours after the initial missing report, the sheriff's office said Gracie's owner and a pilot found her during an aerial search. She was found four miles south of her home at Cedar Hollow Ranch.

According to Sheriff Nathan T. Johnson, Gracie's owner was working with a veterinarian to put together a team to safely return the wandering giraffe home.

Authorities did not say how Gracie wandered from Cedar Hollow Ranch.

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Texas law allows the ownership of exotic animals such as giraffes.

Real County is roughly 100 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, and reported a population of less than 3,000 in the 2020 Census.