West Brownsville, Pennsylvania Pastor Wesley Silva tells NBC News the local Walmart suddenly stopped being cool with him bringing his 5 ft long, 32 lbs emotional support alligator Jinseioshi inside with him during shopping trips despite years of welcoming the beast inside.
“We have been going to that Walmart for about 3 1/2 years and normally the reaction is, ‘That’s pretty cool’ or ‘That is awesome that you have a pet alligator, man!'” Silva said. A Walmart corporate spokesperson seemed to indicate that welcome was more just a case of that particular store not being aware of the retailer’s national alligator policy. “The safety of our customers and associates is our highest priority. We welcome service animals in our stores, but it is unacceptable to expose members of the public to potential danger,” the company said in statement.