Alicia Silverstone has joined efforts to locate two missing baby giraffes from the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia, offering a reward of up to £38,000 for information leading to their safe discovery. The calves disappeared in April amid ongoing allegations of animal mistreatment at the facility. According to a statement from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), reported by People magazine, the animals are believed to have been taken from their mothers shortly after birth during a long-running dispute over standards of care.
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Silverstone expressed deep concern for the missing calves, emphasising the distress caused when young animals are separated from their mothers. She noted that the babies require specialist care and urged anyone with information to come forward as soon as possible. Her involvement comes at a time when scrutiny of the zoo has intensified following wider investigations into its treatment of animals.
In December 2023, the Attorney General’s Animal Law Unit seized around 100 animals from the zoo after extensive concerns were raised about welfare conditions. A judge ruled in March 2024 that 71 of those animals would be placed in government custody. Of the animals left on site, two of the four adult giraffes were pregnant, and the zoo had been required to notify authorities when the calves were born. Officials have stated that no such notification was made.
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Public records indicate that the zoo has a troubling history of separating giraffe calves from their mothers prematurely, having shipped out at least 14 calves over a ten-year period before state authorities intervened. The zoo’s co-owner, Gretchen Mogensen, chose to serve a 100-day jail sentence rather than disclose the missing calves’ location and is due for release in February 2026.
