Dead rat found in southeast Calgary
Rat calls to Animal and Bylaw Services treated as priority calls
Bylaw Officer Todd Kabaya holds the dead rat found in southeast Calgary.
Bylaw officers are searching the southeast neighbourhood of Auburn Bay for any evidence of rats after a dead rat was found in the neighbourhood south of Highway 22X.
At this time, it is difficult to determine if the rat was bred as a pet or if it came in on a transport truck because of the advanced decomposition of the vermin.
No evidence has been found to indicate that there are other rats in the area, but a broader search will be conducted and the area will be monitored by Bylaw officers until they are satisfied there are no more rats, alive or dead in the area.
This is the sixth rat that has been found by Animal and Bylaw Services this year. In the spring, four pet rats were collected and one dead rat was found in a truck.
Due to the damage rats can cause, when someone calls Animal and Bylaw Services concerning a suspected rat sighting, the call is given priority.
Rats can spoil grain and other food, damage buildings, chew through electrical wires and can carry several diseases. A breeding pair of rats can produce as many as 15,000 offspring per year.
Tell tale signs that rats are around include burrows with five to seven-and-a-half centimetre diameter entrances that have well worn pathways, holes in walls and floors, gnawing sounds or evidence of chewing, droppings the size of an olive pit, nests and caches on or below ground level made of food remains, paper, straw, shredded cloth or plastic bags and finally, musky odours and oily smudges.
If you suspect a rat is living anywhere in Alberta, please contact the Alberta Rat Patrol’s toll free number at 403 310 3276 or in Calgary, call 3-1-1.
Category: Calgary
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