‘If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’ll get bit’: can an alligator be man’s best friend?
Name: WallyGator. Age: Seven. Appearance: 1.66m, 32kg, razor-toothed reptile. Occupation: Emotional support alligator.
Come again? He has all the paperwork.
What do you mean, paperwork? Wally’s owner, Joseph Henney of York, Pennsylvania, has a letter from his doctor stating that the alligator’s companionship is necessary to Henney’s mental wellbeing.
If he wants company, why doesn’t he just get a cat? I wouldn’t fancy a cat’s chances in the same house as Wally.
Wally lives in the house? Wally and Henney sleep in the same bed, and curl up on the couch to watch TV together.
I guess what you do in your own home is your own business. Henney also takes WallyGator shopping with him. And last week Wally made headlines when he was spotted cavorting in the fountains of Love Park in Philadelphia, with passersby stopping to hug him.
Is that allowed? It is. WallyGator is an emotional support animal (ESA), and has been since 2018.
So what? In the US, the distinction has some force in law. An ESA can’t be banned by a pet-hating landlord, for example, or prohibited from living in university accommodation. Cats, dogs, hamsters, goats and even peacocks have been claimed as ESAs.
Can ESAs go on planes? That used to be the case, but the law was recently tightened. ESAs are not service animals – they are not trained to aid people with disabilities – and unscrupulous online “ESA mills” have emerged, selling dubious psychological assessments and official-looking collar tags, leading to an epidemic of bogus ESAs.
What about the UK? You can get a letter from your GP to show the staff at Starbucks, but the law doesn’t recognise ESAs.
But you can take your alligator to
Starbucks in the US? Not necessarily. In many states, it’s illegal to own an alligator in the first place. Not in Pennsylvania, though.
What happens when your emotional support alligator bites someone? WallyGator has never bitten anyone. “He’s super sweet-natured,” says Henney.
Would it be fair to say that Wally is the exception to the general rule about not sharing a bed with alligators? Yes, even Henney would agree. “He’s a very special gator, but I wouldn’t recommend that anyone get one,” he says. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, you will get bit.”
What’s next for WallyGator? Henney plans to enter him in an annual contest called America’s Favourite Pet. Meanwhile, Wally will get longer and heavier and live for approximately 80 years.
Do say: “Every day I wake up uneaten, that’s a good day.”
Don’t say: “Is this your alligator bag in the overhead locker?”