A famous “emotional support” crocodile disappeared while on a trip with his owner after being targeted by alleged pranksters.
Distraught Joie Henney believes her 1.7m long pet, called Wally, was stolen as a prank from an outdoor enclosure near her holiday home in Brunswick, Georgia.
It was apparently dumped off a nearby property – before authorities came to collect it and then released the reptile “back” into the wild from a 438,000-acre swamp dozens of miles away.
Henney said the alligator helped alleviate his depression for nearly a decade, and their bond earned them tens of thousands of followers on social media.
“We need all the help we can get to bring my baby back,” Henney said in a tearful video posted to TikTok, where Wally has 143,000 followers.
“Please, we need your help,” he added.
Mr. Henney, who lives in Pennsylvaniatook Wally with him on a trip to the port city of Brunswick last month.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources confirmed it received a report of a nuisance alligator in the area on April 21 and a licensed trapper was dispatched to capture it.
The agency said the reptile was “released in a remote location” but stressed that it did not know whether the creature was Wally.
Wally, photographed last year, was on vacation when he disappeared. Photo: wallygatornjoie/Instagram
“The hunter came and caught Wally and left him in a swamp with about 20 other alligators that same day,” Henney said in a social media post earlier this week.
“The swamp is very big and the hunter said the chances of them finding Wally are slim to none.”
Henney urged his followers not to risk their safety by joining his hunt for his beloved reptile and said all he wants is information.
A fundraising page set up to cover travel costs, vet bills and “potential legal costs” has so far raised more than $8,000 (£6,400).
“All we want and honestly all anyone wants is for the hunter who was doing his job to give us a location,” he added.
“We would have no problem giving him the reward for the safe return of Wally or any other licensed hunter.”
One of Wally’s fans gives him a hug. Photo: wallygatornjoie/Instagram
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It is illegal in Georgia for people to keep alligators without a license or special permit, and the state Department of Natural Resources says it does not grant permits for pet alligators.
Pennsylvania has no state law against owning alligators, although it is illegal for owners to release them into the wild.
Henney, who describes himself as a reptile rescuer, said he met Wally after his friend captured him in Florida and left him “as a joke” in September 2015.
“But the joke is on him now,” he told Sky News last year.
From September 2023: ‘Emotional support’ alligator barred from baseball stadium
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Wally’s popularity soared last year when he was denied entry to a baseball game in Philadelphia.
Mr. Henney said that Wally doesn’t bite and that his food must be dead before it is given to him.
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