Several park visitors, as well as Wally’s owner, Joie Henney, posted pictures and videos of the lovable alligator on a leash, greeting visitors and wading through the fountain’s spraying water. Henney told CNN he got Wally six years ago. A longtime reptile rescuer who has worked with alligators for 30 years, Henney contacted a friend who worked in Florida. “There was an overabundance of gutters in that area,” Haney said. In Florida, so-called “nuisance alligators” must either be euthanized or taken into captivity, he explained. Wally was removed from a lagoon in Florida, Henney said. His friend brought the baby gator, then just 20 inches long and just over a year old, to Pennsylvania. Thus began a unique relationship between man and alligator. “Wally was quite unlike any alligator I’ve dealt with in the last 30 years,” Haney said. “He doesn’t show anger. He shows no aggression. He hasn’t since the day he was caught. We never understood why. “He’s just adorable. He sleeps with me, he steals my pillows, he steals my blankets. He’s just awesome.” Wally’s calm personality led Haney to obtain a license for the feline as an emotional support animal, he said. The alligator has provided him with comfort as he has undergone radiation treatments for cancer. Most people who see Wally are “really excited and happy to see him,” Henney said. Henney isn’t worried about the possibility of the alligator biting someone, he said. “Wally is the only getter I’ve ever been around that refuses to bite,” he said. “It’s shocking — just hard to believe.” Their visit to Love Park came after the odd couple visited Philadelphia to film a news segment, accompanied by close friend Mary Johnson and her children, Henney said. Johnson helps film content for Wally’s TikTok and Instagram, and her family is “extremely special to me,” Henney added. “They just had a blast,” Henney said. “People came as soon as they heard Wally was there to hug him and take pictures with him.” Henney hopes Wally’s story can help people “be good to others.” He’s proud that Wally can help “put a smile on people’s faces — this world is pretty rough.”
