Fred, the kidnapped purple giraffe, has been rescued — thanks to a reward and Facebook

Fred, the whimsical purple giraffe sculpture, has been returned to his owners in Kennewick after the thief posted a photo on Facebook.

The 7-foot giraffe was stolen from a home on South Kellogg Street during the July 4 weekend.

Katherine Sylvan commissioned the sculpture 25 years ago for $1,200 from Tacoma artist Lynn Di Nino.

Sylvan asked for a giraffe that embodied the spirit of Fred Astaire — tall, thin and looking as light on his feet as a dancer.

Di Nino made the sculpture out of rebar and concrete, with black tile spots. Fred’s head was made of a bicycle seat that bobs on a spring and his tail was made from a paint brush.

Di Nino, the Washington state governor’s Artist of the Year in 2017, is known for using everyday objects in her sculptures.

Fred had been displayed in the front yard of Sol and Katherine Sylvan’s home since July 2014.

They offered a $500 reward for his safe return in July, prompting a response from a man who had seen Fred on social media.

The giraffe was in the background of posts showing a party inside a Kennewick home where the man who took it lived with his mother.

The tipster and his muscular cousin approached the mother at her home, and after 30 minutes of talking persuaded her to bring Fred outside, Sol Sylvan said.

Sylvan was waiting with his van to whisk Fred away.

The Sylvans have Fred back and the tipster has $500.

But passersby on Kellogg Street can no longer enjoy Fred. The Sylvans don’t want to risk another theft by keeping him in the front yard.