Wally the emotional support alligator went to see the Phillies. Then he went viral (2024)

Joie Henney and his emotional support alligator, Wally, were denied entry to a Phillies' game at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday — but hope to be invited back soon. Joie Henney hide caption

toggle caption

Joie Henney

Wally the emotional support alligator went to see the Phillies. Then he went viral (2)

Joie Henney and his emotional support alligator, Wally, were denied entry to a Phillies' game at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday — but hope to be invited back soon.

Joie Henney

An emotional support alligator walks into a ballpark ... and is asked to leave.

That's the story that's made headlines in recent days, thanks to viral photos and videos showing Wally — a six foot long, 55 pound alligator wearing a harness and leash — and his human companion outside of Citizens Bank Park during a Phillies game on Wednesday night.

Are you kidding me. A #Phillies fan tried to come into game tonight with what they said was a “service animal.” An Alligator! Yes an Alligator. Thing’s I’ve never seen. This is it. ⁦@SportsRadioWIPpic.twitter.com/H7A0FM0IYC

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) September 27, 2023

But it's not the whole truth, owner Joie Henney told NPR.

National

No More Emotional Support Peacocks As Feds Crack Down On Service Animals On Planes

"We were not there to go to the ballgame," said Henney, 70. "We were there to meet the players, was what we went there for, and I was invited. I didn't just show up."

To understand the backstory, you need to know — as Wally's myriad of local admirers and online fans do — just how beloved this eight-year-old alligator is already.

Wally has more than 114,000 followers on TikTok and another 27,000+ on Instagram. He's gone viral before, including for joyfully splashing around in the fountain at Philadelphia's famous LOVE Park last summer.

Animals

An unprovoked alligator attack is extremely rare — but the reptile is unpredictable

He's posed for photos at City Hall with the mayor of York and visited seniors at a local retirement home. And he was the visual reference for Alligator Loki in the hit Disney+ show Loki.

"He's actually world-famous," Henney said. Which is how he scored an invite to meet the Phillies.

Wally only goes where he's invited

As Henney explained it, one of Wally's fans — who visits him regularly from New Jersey — is also a big Phillies fan, and happens to be friendly with some of the players and their wives.

After hearing her rave reviews, the team invited Henney and Wally to Philadelphia, which is about two hours away from where they live in Harrisburg. Henney said they were there not to watch the game but to meet the players.

But by the time they got to the stadium, the players were already preparing for the game, said Henney. Since they were already there, his friend figured she'd buy them tickets to watch. But she didn't ask about the rules for emotional support animals.

Animals

A Texas woman raised an alligator as a pet for 20 years. Now it's been seized

"We were standing in line waiting, they said I can't take Wally because they only allow service animals ... and I said 'Okay, I respect what your rules are,'" Henney said. "There was no arguing, there was nothing."

Citizens Bank Park's policy prohibits all animals other than "guide dogs, service animals or service animals in training." NPR has reached out to the Phillies for comment.

Henney emphasized that he wouldn't have shown up with Wally unannounced: "I don't go anywhere Wally is not invited." (They do get invited to lots of other places, like restaurants and malls.)

He said that's been missing in a lot of the headlines about this week's outing, and wishes people wouldn't be so quick to criticize.

Sports

More than World Series wins and run records, baseball fans remember the little moments

More than World Series wins and run records, baseball fans remember the little moments

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1198625701/1198625702" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

  • Transcript

"They think I'd just take him randomly to a ballgame," he said. "I'm not even a baseball fan. I don't watch baseball, I don't go to games like that." (He prefers the York Revolution, the minor league team, in part because they're fans of Wally.)

And, he noted, many people at the stadium were happy to see Wally. They gave him hugs and kisses, which he says is not an unusual reception for the alligator.

Henney said the Phillies do want Wally to come back and meet the players on the field, likely during an off-season game. He's waiting for them to call him.

"Whenever they set it up and invite us, we'll go back," he added.

Alligators don't typically make good ESAs

Wally attracts attention wherever he goes. And it's hard not to, seeing that he's the first reptile to be legally certified as an emotional support animal, according to Henney.

It might be because he walks on a leash. It could be because of the red harness with his name on it. And it definitely has something to do with the fact that his mouth isn't taped shut, because he doesn't bite.

"I've been handling gators for 30 years, I've never met a gator who will not bite you [when you're close to their mouth]," Henney said.

Animals

Florida authorities killed an alligator that was seen with human remains in its mouth

In fact, he compares Wally to a living weighted blanket who loves to be held and give hugs. He's especially partial to chin rubs.

Henney didn't set out to own a pet alligator, let alone an emotional support reptile. He works in wood crafting and rescues reptiles on the side, which is how Wally came into his life at about 18 months.

"When I rescue them they're not my pets — I'm trying to help them get into good health," he explained. "But Wally became special, and he attached to me really super close, so I kept him."

Henney has spoken to local and national news outlets over the years about how their bond continued to strengthen.

National

A service dog gets his own college diploma, winning huge cheers

Wally helped him navigate depression and especially difficult moments, like the deaths of several family members in 2017 and radiation treatment for prostate cancer last year (which he underwent with Wally by his side).

He told NPR he initially thought "everybody was nuts" when his doctor suggested getting him registered as an emotional support animal several years ago. But he decided to go through with the certification process. And he hasn't regretted it.

"He means a lot to me," Henney said. "Actually, he means as much to me as my children."

Wally the emotional support alligator went to see the Phillies. Then he went viral (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Wally the emotional support alligator? ›

Henney believes that someone broke into the fenced enclosure where Wally was being kept and stole the gator, dropping Wally off on the porch of a neighbor as some kind of unfunny prank. The neighbor then called the authorities, and poor Wally was trapped and released into the wild.

Who stole Wally the emotional support alligator? ›

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.

Did they find Wally? ›

The neighbor called the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which dispatched a trapper who took custody of Wally and released him in a swamp. The details have shifted somewhat since the early days of Wally's disappearance.

How old is Wally the emotional support alligator? ›

His doctor even endorsed the 5.5-foot gator as an emotional support animal. The 8-year-old reptile is a gentle giant who has never tried to bite anyone and can sense people's emotions, according to Henney.

Where does Wally the emotional support alligator live? ›

Henney lives in Dauphin County, and Wally resides at an animal sanctuary in York County, according to a 2021 PennLive profile of Wally and Henney's work, which noted that the gator is particularly docile and comforting to humans in need.

What happened to WallyGator? ›

By Dan Stamm • Published April 30, 2024 • Updated on April 30, 2024 at 7:31 pm. NBC Universal, Inc. The emotional support alligator was on a trip to Georgia when he was stolen. According to his owner, Wally was released into a swamp with other gators and would be nearly impossible to find.

Why was Wally paralyzed? ›

Biography. In an erased future, the night after Iris West died at the hands of Savitar, an enraged Wally West sped off to battle Savitar. The next day, Joe West found a paralyzed Wally with a broken spine.

How is Wally alive? ›

After noticing Wally West "dead", Kid Flash senses that Wally is not completely dead and he revives him by jumpstarting his heart, curing Wally of his pacemaker condition. Wally West then helps the Titans defeat Donna Troy's evil self from an alternate future, Troia, and the other villains.

Does Wally Gator bite? ›

"I've never met an alligator that will not bite you," Henney told CBS Evening News in 2022. "You fool around the head like this (Joe puts his hand in Wally's mouth), their instinct is to grab you [with their teeth] - but he does not do it.

Why did Wally disappear? ›

Disappearance. One day, the Flash fought longtime villain Abra Kadabra, who used his magical powers to cast Wally into the Speed Force and wipe his existence from everyone's memories. Wally couldn't escape, and no one remembered him to be able to save him.

Was Wally alligator found? ›

Wally, an emotional support alligator that was denied entrance to a Phillies game last year, was apparently kidnapped, found and dropped in a swamp. WallyGator, the emotional support alligator who enjoyed a moment of fame last year when he was denied admittance to a Major League Baseball game, is back in the news.

Was the emotional support alligator stolen in Georgia? ›

Wally the emotional support alligator is lost in Georgia, his owner says Wally has many fans in Pennsylvania and across social media. His owner is enlisting their help, saying Wally was kidnapped, located by a trapper and released into a swamp while vacationing in Georgia.

Did they find the emotional support alligator? ›

He hasn't since the day he was caught. We never could understand why.” Emotional support alligator, Wally, wanders in 2022 around Love Park in Philadelphia. Henney has had Wally since the reptile was a little over a year old and just 20 inches long.

What cartoon was Wally Gator in? ›

Wally Gator is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that originally aired as one of the segments from the 1962–1963 block The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series. The other two segments that compose the series are Touché Turtle and Dum Dum and Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har.

How much does Wally the alligator weigh? ›

Henney plans to stay in Georgia to continue looking for Wally and says anyone with information can contact him directly by calling 717-577-0874. Wally is a male, green, and "scaley" according to his description. He's approximately 9-years-old, weighs under 100 lbs. and is approximately 5 feet long.

Can Wally survive in the wild? ›

Wally would likely not survive if he was left on his own in the wild, Henney said. Henney said he organized a search party for Wally after initially suspecting people who objected to him keeping Wally in captivity had broken the alligator out and returned him to the wild.

Was the support alligator found? ›

Wally, an emotional support alligator that was denied entrance to a Phillies game last year, was apparently kidnapped, found and dropped in a swamp. WallyGator, the emotional support alligator who enjoyed a moment of fame last year when he was denied admittance to a Major League Baseball game, is back in the news.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Arline Emard IV

Last Updated:

Views: 6013

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arline Emard IV

Birthday: 1996-07-10

Address: 8912 Hintz Shore, West Louie, AZ 69363-0747

Phone: +13454700762376

Job: Administration Technician

Hobby: Paintball, Horseback riding, Cycling, Running, Macrame, Playing musical instruments, Soapmaking

Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.