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New colony threatens Alberta’s “Rat Free” status

Alberta prides itself on being a friendly, welcoming place, full of opportunity for growth and resettlement.

That welcome mat does not extend, however, to furry, four-legged rodents with a penchant for subway creeping, disease spreading and food contamination.

The western province loathes rats so much, they've spent the past six decades making sure they get out — and stay out — of their borders.

"Rat Free Alberta" has been a source of pride for those who have worked hard to make sure the creatures can only be found in provincial history books thanks to a strict rat control program implemented in the 1950s.

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Keeping an illegal pet rat can land you a hefty fine or even jail time (though exceptions are granted to zoos and research labs.)

But that rat-free status has recently been challenged after a new colony of Norway rats was discovered August 9 at a Medicine Hat dump.

Norway rats are notable for their tendency to infiltrate human dwellings. Since they can't survive when temperatures dip below zero, these loathsome rodents move into buildings, sewers, landfills and homes to stay alive.

As a thank-you for cohabitation, they like to gnaw holes into your walls, floors, and insulation, spread nasty diseases, and leave unpleasant little "surprises" in your food supply.

And if you have the misfortune of coming across one of these guys mid-gnaw, Norway rats have been known to attack when they feel threatened.

So to protect the good people of Alberta from these unwanted pests, the government is scurrying to contain the problem.

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The Calgary Herald reports that a series of bait traps and infrared cameras has been installed to monitor the site. To date, 52 rats have been captured and destroyed, but officials are anxious to contain the population before it spreads to other locations.

"We're just monitoring it and that's going to continue until they're all gone. The trick is to get ahead of them," Cypress County agricultural fieldman Jason Storch told the paper.

Fieldmen travel around Alberta's eastern boundary making sure vermin stay away from crops.

Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson announced that he plans to nip the problem in the bud before Alberta loses its "Rat Free" bragging rights.

If all goes according to plan, the Rat Patrol should be able to take a well earned vacation come September.