When you invest in a pet alligator, you should keep it. You certainly should not release it into the Kiski River — or anywhere else for that matter.

The recent tale of Chomper, the 4-foot alligator found near the Salina Bridge around 9 p.m. Sunday serves as a reminder of a message we’ve heard before: When you get a pet, it becomes your responsibility. You either keep it and take good care of it, or you rehome it responsibly.

According to Lee Bartolicius, chief of the Kiskiminetas Township Police Department, the alligator is believed to be a pet that was abandoned by its owner.

It’s illegal to release a nonnative species into a waterway, but Bartolicius said it’ll likely be difficult to locate the owner. Chomper will be taken to Nate’s Reptile Rescue in Pittsburgh, the police chief said.

Before Chomper was captured, the gator caused quite a stir. After he was spotted, resources were spent on his recovery. And some fortunate kayakers helped capture him in a rescue that certainly could have endangered their lives had it not been for the reptile’s calm demeanor.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's website, there’s no regulation of nonnative species like Chomper — assuming they aren’t released.

What easily could have prevented last week’s predicament at the Kiski River is this: responsible pet ownership.

It’s pretty simple. If you invest in a living, breathing animal as a pet, you become obligated to care for that animal. And you are duty-bound to keep it, and those who come in contact with it, safe.

— TL