EDMONTON – Edmonton had a sudden spike in rat complaints Wednesday morning after the destructive rodents were discovered in two other places in Alberta, a city official said.
There were six calls about suspected rat sightings within a couple of hours, the first since a nest was found in the Medicine Hat landfill last week, said Keith Scott, co-ordinator of animal care and control officers. Normally, there are five to 10 reports a year.
Officers are investigating the current reports, which are from across the city and mainly around marshy areas, indicating people are probably really seeing muskrats, Scott said.
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Edmonton’s last Norway rat was found in the mid-1990s, a female caught after falling off a rail car, he said.
“The majority are either muskrats or overfed mice, … sometimes a squirrel or domesticated pet rat.”
Scott expects to know by Wednesday afternoon whether any of the complaints is correct.
Anyone who feels they’ve seen a rat in Edmonton is urged to call 311.
Alberta’s reputation as the world’s largest rat-free jurisdiction took a hit last week when a large infestation was uncovered in the Medicine Hat landfill. Up to 100 of the vermin have been killed near the facility using about 40 bait stations.
Hundreds of rats, which can produce more than 1,000 babies a month, are thought to be living there.
A dead rat was also found last Friday in Calgary, where up to six of the rodents are discovered annually. Most are brought in as pets, which is illegal in Alberta.
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