Baseball Fan and 5-Foot Emotional Support Alligator Denied Entry to Philadelphia Ballpark

Service dogs and emotional support animals have been making news headlines more frequently than ever, but it's hard to get more unexpected than this. A surprise guest found himself being denied entry at the Philadelphia Phillies game on Wednesday, September 27, but now he's more famous than ever. Meet Wally, the emotional support alligator!

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. This reptilian ESA (emotional support animal) wasn't let past the entry gate at Citizens Bank Park. He arrived on a leash alongside his owner, Joie Henney, and certainly gathered a lot of attention while he was there.

It's easy to see how this chill gator would turn heads at the ballpark! He might be on the smaller side, but he's way different than any other animal you'd see at a baseball game. In fact, the only other animals you'd see at the Philadelphia Phillies' Stadium are birds and dogs!

No one can stop wild birds from flying into the stadium, but the ballpark does have a rule about the animals guests can bring: only service dogs are allowed! Service dogs in training are also allowed at Phillies' games, but no other animals are welcome (outside of specific dog-friendly baseball games, that is). Still, Wally the alligator's owner hopes to reschedule!

Thanks to this eventful (but short) outing, Wally's social media accounts have grown in popularity exponentially. So there's a silver lining to all of this! In fact, this isn't the first time the emotional support alligator has made the news, either. He was spotted being walked in public by a little girl, and he turned heads then, too! We have a feeling this isn't the last we'll hear of him, either.

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