That was not a pet

So apparently I am the only person who sees a connection between the rash of alligator sitings in Iowa (7/8) and Illinois (6/30 and 7/16) and the floods that have hit the Midwest. Every newscaster asserts, "Well, it must have been someone's pet." Why? I think it makes more sense that the gator that was in University Lakes is now in Illinois. We are not talking about giant gators, but adolescents who are looking for hunting grounds and areas where they will not have competition. Makes sense that they would try out areas up north since the floods have conveniently provided new waterways for travel from the South. The largest gator was 5ft while the other two are tiny. One newscaster explained, "It must have been a pet since it could not have survived an Iowa winter." It was only a foot long.... it was not alive in the winter. It was not a pet!