In December 2023, Virginia authorities — led by the attorney general’s animal law unit — raided the Natural Bridge Zoo and seized its animals. In Virginia, that set off a criminal investigation into what happened to the baby giraffes. Last fall, Natural Bridge Zoo manager Gretchen Mogensen chose to spend 100 days in jail rather than reveal the whereabouts of the baby giraffes. A court filing on her behalf even questioned whether there were baby giraffes, calling them “non-existent.” There’s now a gag order on all the parties involved in the Natural Bridge Zoo case; five people connected with the zoo are scheduled for three separate trials in February and March 2027.