PHILADELPHIA (AP/NEXSTAR) — A Phillies fan and his emotional support alligator were denied entrance to watch Philadelphia host Pittsburgh.
Social media posts showed the gator — named WallyGator — on a leash with a harness with his name on it outside the stadium Wednesday.
WallyGator is a working emotional support alligator owned by Joie Henney, of Jonestown, Pennsylvania. The reptile has a big presence on Instagram and TikTok.
Citizens Bank Park’s policy on support animals, posted on the Phillies’ official website, states, “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.”
NewsNation affiliate WHTM-TV first profiled Wally back in 2019, following the gator and Henney to a nursing home where residents took delight in petting it.
Henney got Wally as a rescue from Florida after losing three of his best friends. Rescued gators can’t be safely returned to the wild.
Henney has rescued other gators, which have gone to zoos or wildlife refuge parks. But he kept Wally for himself, eventually registering the gator as an emotional support animal.
Henney spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer last year and said WallyGator helps him battle depression and that “he likes to give hugs.” Henney said then that the gator had never bitten anyone.