PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Wally Gator was last seen by his owner in the early hours of April 21 during a trip to Brunswick, Georgia.
FOX43 spoke to a neighbor who says they spotted Wally in their yard a few days before he was reported missing.
Due to privacy concerns, the neighbor asked not to reveal their identity.
Here is the timeline of events, according to the neighbor:
- The neighbor heard about a gator moving through nearby backyards while at church that morning.
- After arriving home around noon, the neighbor found a gator on their property and two fence slats pushed through.
- The neighbor called their local non-emergency police but was referred to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and was put in touch with a permitted trapper.
- While waiting for the trapper to arrive, the neighbor and another person secured the gator in a truck, giving it food and water.
- After several hours of waiting, the other person contacted the trapper and arranged to meet at a local gas station.
- The trapper secured the gator at the gas station, telling them it would be relocated to an undisclosed location and not euthanized.
FOX43 received a statement from DNR confirming a trapper did respond to a gator nuisance call that day, but could not confirm if Wally was the gator removed.
DNR also said it is illegal in Georgia for non-licensed or permitted people to hold alligators in captivity, and licenses are not issued to have native wildlife as pets.
The neighbor says they told Wally’s owner, Joie Henney, about what happened once they learned of Wally’s disappearance. Wally was then reported missing to Facebook followers on April 28.
It’s still not confirmed whether Wally escaped or was removed from his pen.
When asked to comment, Henney declined under the advisement of his attorney but said he would publicly comment again in the future.
