Runaway Texas giraffe Gracie spotted from helicopter after nearly two weeks on the loose, sheriff says

After nearly two weeks of wandering the Texas Hill Country, Gracie the giraffe has been found. The 3-year-old giraffe was spotted from a helicopter Friday morning, about four miles south of the ranch where she lives.

Vick Jones, the manager of Cedar Hollow Ranch, "has contacted his veterinarian and is putting a team together to safely capture Gracie and bring her home," the Real County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The giraffe was found at 7:30 a.m. this Friday.

Jones also confirmed via text message that they found Gracie. CBS News Texas has requested more details about the plans to return Gracie to her enclosure.

Gracie's escape

Gracie escaped her enclosure at the remote property about 100 miles west of San Antonio earlier this month.

Jones said this week that she had wandered into a part of the privately owned preserve that other giraffes previously avoided.

"And when she came down off of there, she came down on the wrong side of the gate," Jones said.

Exotic animals in Real County

Sheriff Nathan Johnson said the mild climate and rugged terrain of the Texas Hill Country seems to serve as a good stand-in for most of the animals' native African environments, and is no stranger to tracking missing animals, especially after floods.

"I've had wildebeests, I've had water buffalo, I've had monkeys, I've had zebras, all go missing," Johnson said. But Gracie was his first giraffe.