Wesley Silva, 60, and his alligator Jinseioshi were photographed during a shopping trip at a Walmart earlier this month.
A Pennsylvania man will no longer be able to bring his emotional support alligator along on trips to Walmart.
Silva, 60, said his alligator, Jinseioshi, was refused entry at a Walmart in West Brownsville, despite the pair having reportedly shopped there together for “years,” according to NBC News.
On Friday, Sept. 5, photos of Silva pushing the 5-foot, 32-pound alligator in a shopping cart went viral online, WPXI reported. Jinseioshi even appeared outfitted for the trip with a harness.
“I looked and I saw this alligator dressed up, standing in there, and his mouth was sticking out of the buggy. I didn’t believe it,” an anonymous woman who captured the images told the outlet. She cited safety concerns and said she likely wouldn’t return to that Walmart.
“I don’t want to shop with alligators,” she added.
A Walmart spokesperson told PEOPLE, “We truly value the bond people share with their animals – including those with scales and tails. They bring comfort, joy, and companionship in so many ways, and we love them all. For everyone’s safety and comfort, though, only ADA-recognized service animals can shop with us at Walmart.”
While both Walmart and the unnamed shopper were not thrilled about the four-legged visitor, Silva said he and Jinseioshi have often received praise during their visits and were regular shoppers at the store.
“We have been going to that Walmart for about three and a half years, and normally the reaction is, ‘That’s pretty cool,’ or ‘That is awesome that you have a pet alligator, man!’” Silva told NBC.
“I was impressed he got it into the harness. That was the most impressive thing,” shopper Lindsay Frick told WPXI.
Others expressed surprise at the unusual sight, telling the outlet it was the sort of thing you’d “probably see in Florida.”
Silva told NBC that he received Jinseioshi from a neighbor. She is just one of several amphibians that live with him. He also cares for another alligator, snakes, a Komodo dragon, and more. The father of five even has a more traditional pet dog.
“In the Bible, God talks about us having dominion over animals, and I developed an affinity for the reptiles,” he told the outlet. “I find them very soothing.”
Silva began his reptile collection in 2022 after his daughter asked for a snake.
“I held it one night and I just kind of started really bonding with it and holding it,” he said. “And finally, she gave me an ultimatum: ‘Dad, really, you need to get your own snake.’”
Although Jinseioshi serves as an emotional support animal for Silva, she does not meet the legal requirements to qualify as an official support pet.
Cienna Chefren of Humane Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh told WPXI, “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.”
