A Pennsylvania man’s emotional support alligator has been banned from Walmart after stunned shoppers photographed the reptile roaming the aisles in West Brownsville.
Owner Wesley Silva, 60, often parades his 5-foot-long gator, Jinseioshi, around town. “We’ve gone to restaurants,” Silva told WPXI. “We’ve been to Denny’s, where she’s a star there. She gets VIP treatment.”
But Walmart drew the line after photos circulated of the 32-pound gator wearing clothes and riding in a shopping cart. “The safety of our customers and associates is our highest priority,” Walmart said in a statement. “We welcome service animals in our stores, but it is unacceptable to expose members of the public to potential danger. Accordingly, alligators are not permitted on our premises.”
Silva, who adopted the reptile four years ago, insists he has never had problems before. “It’s been very positive, and I was really taken aback by that,” he said. Still, the ban will not end his outings with Jinseioshi. “I’ll just go with the flow,” Silva added.
While Pennsylvania law allows alligator ownership so long as they aren’t released into the wild, Walmart emphasized its rules follow federal guidelines. The Americans with Disabilities Act recognizes only dogs and miniature horses as service animals.
