On Wednesday, a Phillies fan and his emotional support alligator were denied entrance to the ballpark to watch Philadelphia host Pittsburgh.
Footage of the alligator on a leash and a harness with his name “Wally” on it went viral on social media.
Wally is an emotional support alligator owned by Joie Henney, 70, a resident of Jonestown, Pennsylvania. The reptile has garnered a big following on social media.
Citizen Bank Park’s policy on support animals is posted on the Phillies’ official website: “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.”
Henney spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer last year, and asserted that Wally helps him battle his depression and “he likes to give hugs.” Henney swore that the gator had never bitten anyone.
In response to the internet’s obsession with Wally’s appearance at the game, Henney told NPR: “We were not there to go to the ballgame. We were there to meet the players, which was what we went there for, and I was invited. I didn’t just show up.”
Wally is 8 years old and has more than 114,000 followers on TikTok and another 27,000 on Instagram. He has posed for photos with the Mayor of York at City Hall and visited seniors at local retirement homes. He was even the visual reference for Alligator Loki in the hit Disney+ show Loki.
“He’s actually world-famous,” Henney declared, explaining that’s how they scored an invite to meet the Phillies. Henney noted that one of Wally’s friends is also a big Phillies fan, and happened to be friendly with some of the players. Through his friend, Henney was invited to meet the Phillies.
Henney said by the time they got to the stadium, the players had already started to warm up for the game. As they were already there, Henney’s friend bought tickets for them to watch. It didn’t occur to her to check the emotional support animal policies.
“We were standing in line waiting, they said I can’t take Wally because they only allow service animals … and I said, ‘Okay, I respect what your rules are… there was no arguing, there was nothing,” he said.
Henney emphasized that he would never show up with Wally somewhere the alligator was not specifically invited. He felt that this was not acknowledged in many of the headlines about his and Wally’s presence at the game.
He also noted that many people at the stadium were delighted to see the alligator.
Henney added that the Phillies do want Wally to come back and meet the players, likely at an off-season game.
