Visitors to Philadelphia’s Love Park, USA, had a close, personal – and unusual – encounter with an alligator.
But the reptile is not a wild beast. It is an emotional support animal of a Philadelphia man who runs multiple social media accounts documenting his relationship with Wally the alligator.
Several park visitors, as well as Wally’s owner, Joie Henney, posted images and videos of the affable alligator on a leash, greeting visitors and strolling through the water of a fountain.
Henney told CNN who acquired Wally six years ago.
Long rescuing reptiles and working with alligators for 30 years, Henney was contacted by a friend who works in Florida.
“There was a superabundance of alligators in that area,” Henney said.
In Florida, so-called “nuisance alligators” must be euthanized or transferred into captivity, he explained.
Wally was removed from a pond in Florida, Henney said. A friend of his brought the baby alligator, then just 51 centimeters long and just over a year old, to Pennsylvania.
Thus began a unique relationship between man and alligator.
“Wally has been very different from any alligator I’ve dealt with in the last 30 years,” said Henney. “He doesn’t show anger. He doesn’t show aggression. He hasn’t shown any of this since the day he was caught. We could never understand why.”
“He’s just adorable. He sleeps with me, steals my pillows, steals my blankets. He’s just amazing.”
Wally’s easygoing personality prompted Henney to have the alligator licensed as an emotional support animal, he said. The alligator provided comfort for him as he underwent radiation treatments for cancer.
Most people who see Wally are “very excited and happy to see him,” Henney said.
Henney isn’t worried about the alligator biting someone. “Wally is the only alligator I’ve ever seen that refuses to bite,” he said. “It’s mind-boggling and hard to believe.”
Their visit to Love Park came after the two went to Philadelphia to film for a news segment, accompanied by their friend, Mary Johnson, and her children, Henney said. Johnson helps film content for Wally’s TikTok and Instagram.
“They just had fun,” Henney said. “People came as soon as they knew Wally was there to hug him and take a picture with him.”
Henney hopes Wally’s story can help encourage people to “be kind to other people.” He is proud that his alligator can help “put a smile on people’s faces. This world is hard enough.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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