Wally, the emotional support alligator, made the newspaper headlines in September when he was turned away from the Citizens Bank Park Stadium during a Phillies game, writes Kimberlee Speakman for People.
Gritty tried to make up for that snafu at a recent Flyers game when he bonded with the famous alligator and his owner Joie Henney.
Gritty was videotaped holding Wally for the “Lion King Cam” portion of the game at the Wells Fargo Center.
Wally has also appeared in Gritty’s videos on Instagram. The two fast friends are seen dancing and cuddling together.
“I ain’t afraid of no gator,” the Instagram post said.
Henney and Wally first garnered attention in 2019 when Henney talked to the York Daily Record about how he had taken the 14-month-old reptile in after a friend rescued it.
Henney said that Wally helped lift his spirits when he was going through a particularly tough time and that he wanted to share Wally’s calming nature with others so had the scaly reptile certified as an emotional support animal.
Henney loves to take Wally on educational visits, but he stressed that even though Wally has a unique calming ability, wild animals should never be considered pets.
Read more about Wally and Flyers mascot Gritty’s bonding moment at the Flyers game in People.
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