Wally the emotional support alligator reportedly stolen, owner pleas for safe return: "Bring my baby back"
LEBANON COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) -- Wally, an emotional support alligator with thousands of social media followers from Jonestown, Pennsylvania, was allegedly stolen in Georgia over the weekend.
Joie Henney, who owns Wally, said in an emotional TikTok video that the alligator was taken out of an enclosure in Brunswick, Georgia while they were visiting friends.
"We need all the help we can get to bring my baby back. Please, we need your help," Henney said in the clip.
An update on Wally's Facebook page Saturday said that walking searches were conducted in the area after the gator was taken sometime between 4:30 and 7 a.m., but they didn't turn up Wally.
Henney said in the TikTok video and on his personal Facebook page that a reward is being offered for Wally's safe return, no questions asked.
Sunday morning Henney told CBS News Philadelphia that he was checking on a lead related to Wally's disappearance.
In the last several years, Wally's popularity and internet-celebrity has exploded.
In 2022, Wally went viral on social media after he was seen swimming in Philadelphia's LOVE Park. That same year, Henney and Wally were featured in "On the Road with Steve Hartman" on the CBS Evening News, where Henney explained that the rescue gator never bites anyone and has helped him battle depression.
In October 2023, Wally appeared at the Wells Fargo Center with Philadelphia Flyers mascot Gritty during the game, though month earlier he was denied entry from a Phillies game due to Citizens Bank Park's policy on support animals.