Alligator in W. Pa. reservoir likely discarded pet

SLICKVILLE, Pa. (AP) - October 5, 2011 (WPVI) -- An alligator has taken up residence in a southwestern Pennsylvania reservoir, but experts say it's likely a discarded pet that won't survive much longer.

Chris Kerr, manager of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County - a government-run water company that owns the Beaver Run Reservoir - says security workers spotted the five-foot-long reptile about a month ago. Since then, several members of the public have reported seeing it.

Officials with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission say they will fine someone if they determine the person discarded the pet in the lake about 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Pet owners sometimes do that when reptiles grow larger than the owners expect.

Kerr says workers aren't actively searching for the alligator because experts say the cold-blooded animal won't survive as temperatures drop later this month and into November.

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pennsylvania, wildlife preservation, animals

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