More than a year after their mysterious disappearance from the Natural Bridge Zoo in Southwest Virginia, two missing giraffe calves have been found.
According to a news release, an “extensive investigation” by Attorney General Jay Jones’ office located the missing giraffes. They were safely returned following legal action by the attorney general’s office.
“The animals are safe and are receiving proper medical and behavioral support, according to the release.” They are currently at a facility specializing in giraffe care.
The attorney general did not disclose the facility’s location. However, the Georgia Safari Conservation Park told The Washington Post it had welcomed “two juvenile reticulated giraffes” Monday from the Virginia Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit. It said the giraffes are acclimating well.
The Natural Bridge Zoo’s three surviving adult giraffes are also at the Georgia facility.
Case Background
The Natural Bridge Zoo had long been questioned for its treatment of animals. In 2023, the attorney general’s office seized more than 100 animals from the zoo on suspicion of animal cruelty, according to The Post.
An investigation found the Natural Bridge Zoo was not properly feeding or housing the animals. Officials with the attorney general’s office said the giraffes had painfully overgrown hooves and lacked enrichment.
The Mogensen family, which owns the zoo, denied any mistreatment.
A jury awarded custody of dozens of animals to the government in March 2024, including four giraffes. While many of the animals were removed, the giraffes remained at the zoo for months — even though they were legally under the government’s custody — until they could safely be transported. During that time, two became pregnant.
In April 2025, inspectors found that those giraffes were no longer pregnant, but there was no information about the calves’ whereabouts. Owner Gretchen Mogensen refused to answer questions in court about their whereabouts and spent 100 days in jail.
Animal rights organization PETA and actress Alicia Silverstone offered a $50,000 reward for information about the missing giraffe calves in November 2025.
In February, three members of the Mogensen family, including Gretchen Mogensen, were arrested. They were each charged with more than a dozen counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals, The Post reported. Two former employees at the zoo were also charged.
Feature image courtesy Office of Virginia Attorney General
