When Officials Returned in 2025, the Newborns Were Missing

A federal informant allegedly helped hide two baby giraffes that vanished from Virginia's Natural Bridge Zoo last year, according to a search warrant application obtained by The Independent. Patrick Robinson, a Tennessee animal handler now under federal investigation, broke a written agreement by sharing sensitive law enforcement intel with a zoo insider and discussing secret moves of the animals, the affidavit says. Robinson confirmed his role, telling The Independent, I was a confidential informant... I was in it from the ground up.

The calves disappeared in April 2025, prompting actress Alicia Silverstone to offer a $50,000 reward. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service affidavit details how Robinson, who began cooperating in 2022 over Big Cat Public Safety Act violations, undermined the probe. The zoo had been under scrutiny for neglect, and authorities seized nearly 100 animals in December 2023, but pregnant giraffes stayed until birthing.

When officials returned in 2025, the newborns were missing. I was a confidential informant, so I don't know how that goes with my agreement with them. I was in it from the ground up, but I don't know what I can comment on and what I can’t comment on.