The plight of an emotional support alligator named Wally, who usually resides in Pennsylvania, has taken a wild turn in Georgia. Wally, the almost six-foot-long gator, made a name for himself by visiting nursing homes, frolicking in Philly's Love Park fountain, and even snuggling with his owner, Joie Henney. But now, he's gone missing after a chain of bizarre events that began with an alleged kidnapping and ended in a Georgia swamp.
Wally was temporarily staying in Brunswick, Georgia, when, according to Henney, the alligator was swiped from his pen on April 21. In the days that followed, Henney's appeal for assistance to locate Wally surged across social media platforms. "Wally was stolen by some jerk who likes to drop alligators off into someone's yard to terrorize them," a post on Wally's official Facebook page detailed, WABE reported. Subsequently, a Department of Natural Resources (DNR)-sanctioned trapper captured Wally and deposited him among other alligators in the wild, complicating the search.
The Georgia DNR, in a statement given to NPR, noted that a trapper attended to a nuisance alligator call in Brunswick on the said date and released the gator into a remote location, which is considered standard procedure. However, they did not verify whether the alligator in question was the internet-famous Wally. Meanwhile, Wally's followers, who number in the hundreds of thousands on social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, are left worrying about his wellbeing, as his Facebook page acknowledges the difficulty of finding him due to the swamp's vast size and the presence of other alligators.
As the search for Wally continues, financial support has been pouring in via an online fundraiser, with nearly 400 people donating over $10,000. The funds are earmarked for "travel costs, advising costs, and possible legal and veterinary costs," as Henney's quest to find his beloved reptilian companion grows more desperate. "Wally is very important to me as well as to a lot of other people that he makes happy and puts joy in their hearts," Henney expressed in a heartfelt Facebook post, adorned with pictures of him and Wally in happier times.
Henney's bond with Wally is no small affair; the owner counts the gator as family, having been by his side through thick and thin, including difficult personal moments. Interestingly, Wally is no ordinary gator; he's said to be the first reptile to be legally certified as an emotional support animal. This distinction didn't prevent the Georgia DNR from declaring that Henney could face prosecution if he attempts to capture Wally himself, a detail disclosed in a recent update on the Wallygator Facebook account.
Fans of Wally are taking matters into their own hands, strategizing in a Facebook group about how to rescue him. Suggestions range from bombarding the governor's office with phone calls to dispatching flyers in the local area, and even roping in TV's "Dog the Bounty Hunter" to aid in the search.
