Alicia Silverstone Offers $50K for Return of Missing Giraffes

Alicia Silverstone is offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the safe return of two baby giraffes that disappeared from a Virginia zoo now at the center of a widening scandal. The Clueless star partnered with PETA to publicize the reward, hoping it will encourage someone to come forward with answers about the calves, who vanished from the Natural Bridge Zoo in April shortly after being born.

“Tearing babies away from their distraught mothers is devastating for both, no matter what the species,” Silverstone said in a statement, urging anyone with knowledge of the calves’ whereabouts to speak up, according to the New York Post.

The Natural Bridge Zoo has faced heavy scrutiny since late 2023, when authorities seized more than 100 animals during an animal-cruelty investigation. Twenty-eight animals were found dead or were later euthanized. Four adult giraffes remained onsite because they were too difficult to relocate, and two females were already pregnant. By the time inspectors returned in April, both had given birth—but the newborns, who depend on their mothers’ milk for at least nine months, were missing.

Mugshot of Gretchen Mogensen. — Gretchen Mogensen, a co-owner at the Natural Bridge Zoo, was jailed for 100 days for refusing to say where a pair of missing baby giraffes are. Rockbridge Regional Jail

PETA alleges the zoo has a long history of separating baby giraffes from their mothers, claiming it shipped out “at least 14 baby giraffes in the 10 years prior to the state’s seizure.”

The zoo’s co-owner, Gretchen Mogensen, is currently serving a 100-day jail sentence for contempt after refusing to disclose what happened to the missing calves—even when questioned under oath. A judge had given her five weeks to either produce the giraffes or reveal their location to Virginia’s Animal Law Unit. When she failed to do so, she was taken into custody. Her attorneys argue she cannot defend herself without risking self-incrimination, as a criminal investigation is still underway.