Wally — Pa.’s famous emotional support alligator — is missing after being stolen from enclosure, owner says
The emotional support alligator and viral critter was reportedly stolen from his enclosure and dropped off at a swamp while owner Joie Henney was away on a trip to Georgia.
What happens when an alligator micro-celebrity goes missing? The internet goes on high alert.
Wally — the famous emotional support alligator from Jonestown, Pa. — has been missing for more than a week after he was stolen from his enclosure, according to his handler Joie Henney.
The gator was allegedly taken from his enclosure sometime in the morning on April 21 while Henney was away in New Brunswick, Ga., Henney posted to Wally’s official Facebook page Sunday. In another post, Henney explained that he believes “some jerk who likes to … terrorize” alligators took Wally and dropped him off in someone else’s yard, who then called the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which then called a trapper.
That trapper then let Wally loose in an unnamed swamp “with about 20 other alligators,” Henney wrote.
“The swamp is very large and the trapper said the chances of them finding Wally is slim to none,” he said.
As of Monday morning, Wally had not been located. Posts recounting the saga have been shared more than 1,000 times on Facebook and viewed more than 128,000 times on TikTok, where Henney and his gator have 134,000 followers. Commenters have been extending their prayers for the missing gator, with some even offering to join the search efforts themselves.
“I’m in Louisiana, will start the drive NOW to help,” wrote one TikTok user, while others have joked that they “ride at dawn” for Wally and “will spill blood” to ensure the gator’s safe return. Paul Bedard — the Florida-based alligator trapper and star of the Animal Planet reality series Gatorboys — has also pledged help, said Henney.
» READ MORE: From 2019 | Meet Wally, the emotional support alligator that helps a York County man deal with depression
Henney has also posted a GoFundMe seeking $30,000 to cover associated travel and advising costs, as well as potential legal and veterinary fees. It had raised just under $4,000 as of Monday morning.
Wally is Henney’s 9-year-old, five-and-half-foot-long emotional support animal, prescribed to him in lieu of depression medication after three close friends died. Alligators are legal to own in Pennsylvania, and Wally and Henney’s life together in between meet-and-greets has been pretty sweet: Couch cuddles while watching gator-themed television shows, taking dips in a neighbor’s pool, eating chicken wings, and occasionally wrestling.
“He likes to give hugs,” Henney told The Inquirer in 2019. “I tell people to respect him, not fear him. He will not hurt you.”
Wally endeared himself to Philadelphians in 2022, when he made an appearance at LOVE Park, where he splashed around in the sprinklers and posed for photos in front of the park’s sculptures like every good tourist. Last year, Wally went viral for being denied entry to Citizens Bank Park during a Phillies playoff game, eventually going on to meet Gritty at a Flyers game last October. The mascot held him up like Simba from The Lion King.
» READ MORE: Wally, the emotional support alligator, denied entry to Phillies game
“I know everyone wants to help and I wish I could tell you how you can but we are currently in a waiting game,” said another post on Wally’s Facebook page. “All I can say is keep your prayers going and do what you can to make Wally viral … the more we can get him out there the better our chances.”