What happened to Wallygator, the emotional therapy alligator kidnapped in the United States?
Wallygator, an emotional support alligator, was reported stolen and missing by his owner. He was kidnapped and placed in someone’s garden as a prank.
Wally, affectionately nicknamed WallyGator, is an emotional support alligator who helped Joseph Henney overcome severe depression. After becoming Henney’s inseparable pet, the reptile endeared himself people on social networks with his friendly character and his story, winning the hearts of thousands of people.
Now, his owner has reported that the animal has been stolen while he was on vacation in Georgia.
According to reports collected by The Independent, Wally was abducted from his enclosure on April 21 in the early hours of the morning, while he was visiting friends with his owner in Brunswick, Georgia. The animal’s Facebook page, WallyGator, exposes how the thief placed the animal in someone’s garden with the aim of scaring the residents.
Upon seeing the alligator loose, the Department of Natural Resources was called to take charge of the situation. The office then contacted a trapper to hunt down the animal. Subsequently, Wally was released into a swamp with 20 other alligators, which considerably decreased the chances of finding him again, now becoming “little to none.”
Wally’s success as an emotional support animal
This alligator is popularly known for having been a great emotional support for his owner, who lost three family members and four friends in just two weeks. This led to an unprecedented depression which neither medication nor therapy seemed to help. But everything changed when Wally came into Henney’s life.
His friend asked him if he could take in three small alligators that he had found in a pond in Orlando, to which the man agreed. Shortly after, two of the reptiles were moved to shelters, while Wally stayed at Henney’s house when he was just 14 months old. Since then, both have been inseparable and the patient’s improvement has been more than evident.
In search of the animal
“Please, we need your help,” Henney begged through tears in a video published on TikTok where he reported the disappearance of his pet.
He said there would be a reward for the return of the animal, with no questions asked.
“Please help us, please,” appealed Wally’s owner.
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Henney has also denied that the animal could have escaped by digging on its own, as many people have suggested. He explains that the habitat where he was located is enclosed with a metal fence buried just over half a meter into the ground, so that theory is not possible.
A reptile rescue group called GatorBoys offered to help find Wally, although they are still trying to obtain more specific information about where the animal was released.
So far, the animal’s whereabouts are unknown and the case remains open without any progress.