Desperate Search Underway in Georgia for Famous ‘Emotional Support Alligator'

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Losing your pet for any reason is just devastating; it's essentially a member of your family that's gone missing. If my fur baby went missing, I would be completely inconsolable. But for someone to steal a person's beloved pet is such a devastating act of cruelty that I can't even put my feelings into words. After hearing about this story, whatever little remaining hope I have for humanity has just about dried up.

"Wally" is a five-foot alligator that belongs to Pennsylvania man Joie Henney as his beloved pet and emotional support animal. Tragically, someone stole Wally from his owner while the pair were on vacation- and unfortunately, while the search is still under way things look grim for their chances of a reunion.

Yesterday morning, the @todayshow reported on what little was known about the case at the time. Joie Henney and Wally the emotional support gator were visiting with friends in Georgia when, one morning, Joie awoke to find his beloved pet missing from his enclosure, with no signs of escape. Suspecting a pet-napping, Henney and his friends contacted the authorities, who quickly commenced a desperate search. Unfortunately, some very disheartening information has come out over the past 24 hours.

Related: Alligator Caught on Video Chasing After Golf Cart Riders in Florida

Heartbreaking Updates on the Search for Wally

I wish that I could deliver a more positive update, or even say that the police haven't found any leads yet. Unfortunately, while the search is far from over, things are looking very disheartening. According to USA Today , a Georgia Department of Natural Resources official informed Henney that the thief dropped Wally off in a resident's yard " to terrorize them ." The resident called the authorities, who sent in a trapper. Not realizing that the alligator was someone's emotional support animal , the trapper released Wally into a nearby swamp near Brunswick, a city on the southeastern coast of Georgia.

Wally has lived with Henney for years as a pampered pet . His chances of surviving in the wild are very slim, and according to ABC 7 Chicago , the trapper informed Henney that the odds of him finding his pet are " slim to none ." Still, Henney refuses to give up hope, and is trying to glean whatever information he can in the hopes of rescuing his beloved scaley friend.

Helping the Search for Wally the Alligator

Unfortunately, due to the dangers of potentially encountering wild alligators , the public can't exactly trudge off into swamps to search for Wally themselves. Still, thousands are heartbroken for Henney and Wally, and are doing everything they can to help.

Wally has been internet famous for years, and the unique bond he and Henney have has melted hearts around the world. Wally has hundreds of thousands of followers across his social media accounts, was in the running for " America's Favorite Pet " in 2022, and inspired the design for " Alligator Loki " on the Marvel TV show Loki . Despite the odds, people around the world are pulling out the stops to aid Henney in his search, contacting Georgia state representatives for help and raising over $6,000 for search efforts on GoFundMe .

As a proud pet parent myself, I find myself cycling between rage, sadness, and sickness over this. I cannot imagine the agony Henney is feeling right now, and frankly, I can't even publicly voice what I think should happen to whoever kidnapped his pet.

On his Facebook page , Henney wrote that he's offering a reward for whoever can reunite him with Wally, no questions asked. Whether you're in Brunswick, Georgia, or on the other side of the world, if you have any information that could help their search, get in touch with him right away.

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