Where is Wally, the ’emotional support alligator’? Your owner responds

A Pennsylvania resident who attributes relief from his depression to an alligator named Wally reported that the reptile went missing while his family was on vacation on the Georgia coast. According to a report in The IndependentWally, the “emotional support alligator,” was released into a swamp.

Wally is popular as an emotional support pet and has dedicated social media pages with thousands of followers.

In a social media post, Wally’s owner, Joie Henney, shared more than a week ago that her pet reptile was stolen. Since then, Henney has been updating Wally’s Facebook page about the missing alligator. Sharing a photo of Wally, Mr Henney revealed that the reptile was stolen from his enclosure on April 21 in the early hours of the morning.

He wrote: “Help needed!!!! Wally was robbed… no, that’s not a joke. He was removed from his pen on Sunday the 21st between 4:30 am and 7 am while in Brunswick, Georgia. Searches on foot were carried out without success. If anyone sees or hears anything, please contact Joie directly. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.”

In another Facebook post, Henney revealed that Wally was stolen by pranksters, who left the alligator outside the home of someone who called authorities. He added that this resulted in the crocodile being captured and released into the wild.

He wrote: “Okay guys, I’ll explain things to the best of my ability. Wally was stolen by an idiot who likes to leave alligators in someone’s yard to terrorize them. Once discovered, they called DNR, DNR then called a trapper. The hunter came and caught Wally and left him in a swamp with about 20 other crocodiles that same day. The swamp is very big and the hunter said the chances of finding Wally are slim to none. But this is Wally… Joie and friends are currently heading to the swamp to research and will continue daily. We just pray with other crocodiles present that Wally is okay. We are not disclosing the location at this time, however, if anyone would like to help with the search please contact Joie directly for more details. Please continue to pray because we need a miracle. Thank you everyone for your love and support.”

Henney also shared a detailed note, thanking the public for supporting him.

The Independent’s report stated that, as of Wednesday, efforts to find the crocodile had been unsuccessful.