Watch A Girl Walk An Emotional Support Alligator On A Leash In A Philly Park
Don’t hug or pet this gator. (Photo: George Shelley via Getty Images)
Kids trying to beat the Philadelphia heat got a glimpse of a little gator aid on Friday.
Video shows a young girl walking an alligator on a leash and playing in a series of water fountains in Love Park, CNN reports.
It is legal to own an alligator as a pet in Pennsylvania, CNN notes, but it’s against state law to release one into the wild.
The alligator, Wally, is a 7-year-old reptile, a TikTok star and a licensed emotional support animal, according to his social media accounts.
Wally — who likes to be pet and reportedly “loves to give hugs” — was adopted in 2016 by reptile enthusiast Joie Henney, Philly Voice reports. Henney, who is undergoing cancer treatments, has a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of care for Wally and other scaly critters he looks after at his reptile rescue.
@wallythealligator Wally loved spending the day in Love Park, Philadelphia !!#WallyGatorESA
♬ Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen
Wally is also apparently a hopeful contestant in “America’s Favorite Pet: Animal Kingdom,” an online competition for pets where the winner will receive $10,000 and be featured in a two-page In Touch Weekly spread.
Wally’s TikTok account features a ton of videos that show kids cuddling the gator, and Wally visiting restaurants and swimming pools.
Seriously, check out some of his videos below. We promise it’s not a complete crock.
@wallythealligator What it is like traveling with Wally!!!#wallytheemotionalsupportalligator#WallyGatorESA#wallygatore
♬ Send Me on My Way - Guy Meets Girl
@wallythealligator @iwondertv spent the day with Wally yesterday.#wallytheemotionalsupportalligator#WallyGatorESA#wallygatore
♬ Walking On Sunshine - Countdown Singers
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
