Emotional support alligator WallyGator at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Sept. 27, 2023 (Photo: AP)
WallyGator, the emotional support alligator who went viral after public appearances around Philadelphia, has been stolen, according to the gator’s owner.
Pennsylvania’s most famous reptile is missing. WallyGator, a working emotional support alligator, was stolen, according to the gator’s owner, Joie Henney.
In a Facebook post, Henney, of Jonestown, Lebanon County, said WallyGator was taken from his pen in the early morning hours of April 21 in Brunswick, Georgia, where Henney and WallyGator were visiting with friends.
In subsequent updates to the WallyGator Facebook page, someone posted that the gator was stolen by “some jerk who likes to drop alligators off into someone’s yard to terrorize them.”
According to the post, upon finding a gator in their yard, the homeowner called the Georgia Department of Natural Resources who dispatched a trapper to corral WallyGator and drop him off in a swamp.
“The trapper came and got Wally and dropped him off in a swamp with about 20 other alligators that same day,” the post reads. “The swamp is very large and the trapper said the chances of them finding Wally are slim to none.”
The Keystone made contact with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, who confirmed that a trapper was sent to take an alligator from someone’s yard on April 21, and that the gator was released in a remote location. A spokesperson said they could not confirm or deny if the gator was indeed WallyGator.
A post to the WallyGator Facebook page late Wednesday said that follow-up communication with the Georgia DNR went nowhere. The post asked followers to contact the DNR commissioner in hopes of getting more done to ensure the gator’s return.
WallyGator went viral on several occasions after being spotted around Philadelphia, most notably at Citizens Bank Park last September when Henney attempted to bring the gator into CBP to watch the Phillies host the Pirates. Both Joie and WallyGator were denied entrance to the game.
WallyGator was also reportedly the visual model for the alligator in Disney+’s “Loki.”
Our Graham Harrington has more on WallyGator’s disappearance in this video.
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