Alberta’s ‘Rat Patrol’ is on high alert, as the number of rats found at a Medicine Hat landfill continues to grow – and another rodent was discovered in Calgary.
At last count, a total of 67 rats had been found in the Medicine Hat landfill, six within the city and another 16 in Cypress County – and a dead rat was found in southeast Calgary on Friday.
In Medicine Hat, a crew of 20 are working to remove all of the rats in the landfill – and are providing food and water, laced with poison, for the rodents.
Officials said they’ve found evidence indicating the presence of rats outside of the landfill, it’s believed they could be scouting for a new home, now that they’ve been discovered.
Calgary bylaw officials searched the area where the rat was found, and said they did not find evidence of other rats – the City of Calgary is taking the finding seriously, but officials don’t think the rat is connected to a colony found in Cypress County.
It’s believed that rat could have been a pet; however, officials said it’s hard to tell due to the state of decomposition.
Officials in Edmonton said they are keeping an eye on the situation, but there’s no reason for alarm.
No rats have been reported in Edmonton so far.
With files from Sonia Sunger
