Two giraffe calves that disappeared from Natural Bridge Zoo in 2025 have been found safe and are now in the care of a professional facility that specializes in giraffe care, according to the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. The state said Monday evening that legal action by its office helped bring the calves back after an extensive investigation.
The update answers the question that has hung over the case for months: where the animals were and whether they were alive. State officials said the calves are receiving proper medical and behavioral support, but they did not say how the animals were located or where they had been during the missing period.
The Attorney General’s office said it could not release more details because the criminal investigation is still active. That leaves the key gap in the story unresolved even as the calves have been secured at a specialized facility. The office also said the outcome reflected its commitment to public safety, accountability and protecting communities.
The case has been tied to a broader fight over Natural Bridge Zoo. Virginia authorities seized 96 animals from the property in December 2023 amid animal abuse allegations, and the zoo’s four co-owners now face a combined 55 misdemeanor charges. Two of the co-owners are also charged with public record forgery.
Gretchen Mogensen, one of the zoo’s co-owners, was ordered to serve a 100-day jail sentence after refusing to explain what happened to the giraffes or turn them over. The state’s newly disclosed recovery gives authorities a concrete result in a case that has stretched across years, but the unresolved criminal investigation still controls what comes next and what the public will be told.
