Virginia officials find 2 Natural Bridge Zoo giraffe calves safe
Two giraffe calves that disappeared from the natural bridge zoo in 2025 have been found safe more than a year later. The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia shared the news Monday evening, saying the calves are now at a professional facility specializing in giraffe care.
The finding resolves one of the most closely watched parts of the Natural Bridge Zoo investigation. The calves vanished after state officials were preparing to relocate four giraffes, and their disappearance triggered a nationwide search and a public radio campaign offering $50,000 for information.
Natural Bridge Zoo calves
Officials said the calves were among giraffes tied to a larger seizure of nearly 100 animals from the zoo during an investigation into animal abuse allegations. Two of the giraffes were pregnant and had given birth before investigators visited, but the calves were nowhere to be found when they arrived.
The zoo never reported the births, despite a court order requiring it to do so. That failure became part of a broader legal case that extended beyond the missing animals and into the zoo’s recordkeeping and handling of the giraffes.
Gretchen Mogensen sentence
Gretchen Mogensen, a co-owner of the Natural Bridge Zoo, served a 100-day jail sentence after refusing to explain to the court what happened to the giraffes or to hand them over. The four co-owners — Deborah Mogensen, Gretchen Mogensen, Karl Mogensen and Mark Easley — face a combined 55 misdemeanor animal cruelty charges.
Deborah Mogensen and Gretchen Mogensen were also charged with forgery of public records. Ashley Spencer, a veterinarian associated with the zoo, was charged with forgery of public records as well.
PETA search campaign
The calves’ disappearance drew attention beyond Virginia. PETA ran a public service announcement on local radio stations, and actress Alicia Silverstone used the spot to offer $50,000 for information on where the giraffes were located.
Now that the calves have been found safe, the immediate question for readers tied to the case is no longer where they went, but how the remaining legal proceedings around the zoo and its owners continue to move forward.
