Alicia Silverstone offers $50K reward for return of baby giraffes who mysteriously vanished from troubled zoo 7 months ago
A Virginia town is wrapped in intrigue after two baby giraffes vanished from the Natural Bridge Zoo. The incident has not only put the zoo’s management under legal scrutiny—owner Gretchen Mogensen is serving a 100‑day sentence for refusing to disclose the calves’ whereabouts—but also drawn the eye of actress Alicia Silverstone.
“Clueless” star Silverstone recently partnered with PETA to launch a $50,000 reward for anyone who can help locate the missing calves, which disappeared roughly seven months ago.
She emphasized, “Tearing babies away from their distraught mothers is devastating for both, no matter what species they are,” adding that specialized care is urgent and each day counts.
The zoo’s troubles began in December 2023 when the Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit seized over 100 animals in a criminal cruelty investigation. Thirty‑eight animals were either recovered deceased or humanely euthanized, while four giraffes stayed at the zoo because transporting them would have been too risky.
Authorities continued to visit to check on the remaining 39 animals. Meanwhile, the two maternity giraffes gave birth in April 2025, yet their newborns vanished by the time an inspector arrived that month. Seven weeks later, no progress has been made in locating the calves.
Mogensen’s refusal to comply with a court order—under oath—to either explain what happened to the giraffes or hand them over to officials led to her federal detention. Though her attorneys argued she couldn’t defend herself without incriminating the investigation, the judge gave the zoo a five‑week deadline to resolve the case.
After that deadline, Mogensen turned herself in, beginning her sentence. Meanwhile, the search for the calves continues to attract national attention from animal‑rights groups and critics of the zoo’s handling of its animals.
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