Pennsylvania Man Raises Eyebrows for Schlepping Around His 5-Foot-Long Emotional Support Alligator

An emotional support alligator has been banned from a big box store in Pennsylvania. But the boycott doesn’t bother Wesley Silva — he’s schlepped his 5-foot-long, 32-pound pet, Jinseioshi, around restaurants, the public library and other stores for the past three and a half years, according to WPXI.

“We’ve been everywhere. We’ve been to Denny’s. She’s a star there. She gets VIP treatment,” says Silva, 60.

Still, Walmart customers weren’t so sure about having the leashed lizard slithering down the aisles or hanging out of a shopping cart. Several snapped photos of the toothy beast, but others feared for their safety, prompting the West Brownsville Walmart to ban Jinseioshi.

“The safety of our customers and associates is our highest priority,” the company 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 insists Jinseioshi — who’s registered as an emotional support animal — is as gentle as a lamb and wouldn’t hurt a fly.

But an expert cautions a scared or stressed alligator could wreak havoc.

Cienna Chefren, a representative of the Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, says: “There is no predictability to how that animal is going to act when it’s around strange people, stressful environments, which Walmart is, so there are no precautions there, and that could be quite dangerous.”

Still, Silva shrugs off those worries.

“I just go with the flow,” he says.

Silva received Jinseioshi four years ago as a gift from a neighbor who couldn’t take care of the swamp-loving critter anymore — and he loves dressing her up in sweaters and dresses and tooling around town.

“I didn’t think I would actually own an alligator, ever,” he says. “It’s been really kind of incredible.”