Missing Baby Giraffes Are Finally Safe
Newser • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Two missing giraffe calves from Virginia's Natural Bridge Zoo have been found and transferred to the Georgia Safari Conservation Park near Atlanta after over a year of disappearance.
- The calves were born to adult giraffes seized amid animal-cruelty allegations against the zoo, which has faced long-standing scrutiny for mistreatment of animals.
- Gretchen Mogensen, the zoo's second-generation owner, served a 100-day jail sentence for contempt of court rather than revealing the calves' location, amid ongoing misdemeanor animal-cruelty and forgery charges against her family and former staff.
- All three surviving adult giraffes from the zoo are now at the Georgia park, while another female giraffe, Valentine, died during transport last year.
- PETA highlighted the calves' trauma from separation but confirmed they are now safe and settling in well at the specialized care facility.
