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Three Wild Mice Test Positive for Hantavirus
A California man found a 70-pound beehive in his shed housing up to 150,000 bees
A California man found a 70-pound beehive in his shed housing up to 150,000 bees
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Calgarian cooks and eats pigeons — and says they’re delicious
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A swarm of nearly 40,000 bees attacked police responding to a single bee sting report
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Sightings of cockroaches call McMaster’s pest control plan into question
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Bedbugs, cockroaches, mice gaining ground in TCH properties, reports show
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Poachers kill 2 bald eagles in Alberta
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Woman catches ‘rat-bite fever’ from pet rat, develops serious rash, infection
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San Diego woman living in van with 300 rats agrees to give them up
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‘Absolutely nuts’: Squirrels hid 200 walnuts under this SUV’s hood
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Bed bugs found at Winnipeg tax building
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Saskatoon spent $900K removing more than 619,430 kg of potentially damaging bird poop from Buckwold Bridge
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‘Ghost magpies’ add intrigue to Edmonton’s urban wildlife
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From bats to pythons, how to keep unwanted visitors from your toilet.
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B.C. family counts over 100 bats in home’s attic and chimney after moving in
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B.C. man dies of rabies after coming into contact with bat
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Phorid flies: Complete inspections can rule out costly solutions
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Woman shocked after rat falls from restaurant ceiling onto table
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B.C. man escapes fine for destroying gull’s nest
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‘Heavy cockroach infestation’ shuts down Lethbridge restaurant
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Our best bird poop removal tip…
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Scorpion stings student on Toronto to Calgary flight
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Extreme, prolonged cold weather may affect Alberta honeybee population
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N.B. man dies after single wasp sting
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Rats in rat-free Alberta? Province confirms 3 found in Calgary in 2018
Rats in rat-free Alberta? Province confirms 3 found in Calgary in 2018
By Lauren Pullen, Digital Journalist Global News
Updated: July 19, 2018 7:07 pm
If you think “rat-free Alberta” means none of the rodents can be found in the province, well, that’s not entirely true.
A young rat was found in the suburb of Hillhurst just outside downtown Calgary Thursday morning.
Becky Rock’s son made the find near a garden on the side of their home.
“I think Alberta’s claim to be rat-free ran through my head. I was a little shocked, at least,” Rock said.
“Our cats have given us at least one or two treasures of the gift of a dead mouse on occasion [but] coming across a rat, I never would have expected that.”
This is the third rat found in Calgary in 2018, according to the city. Another four were also found that were being kept as pets.
But the province says Alberta is still rat-free, justifying that claim by saying the rodents don’t mate or repopulate here.
“We’ve never totally been rat-free but we don’t have a breeding population. We never have,” provincial rat and pest specialist Phil Merrill said.
Merrill says there have been small infestations in the past and on average about a dozen rats are found in Alberta every year.
“Things have really died down since I started in 1971,” Merrill said. “We used to have 40 to 50 every year.”
Merrill credits the increase in rat patrol programs in Saskatchewan for the decline.
He said most rats hitch a ride on recreational vehicles from neighbouring provinces. They’re usually younger rodents curiously looking for a new place to live — perhaps a new adventure.
Merrill says they don’t usually last long in different environments though, which is why most of the rats they find are already dead.
If you do spot what you think is a rat you’re asked to contact the province’s rat and pest control program at 310-RATS, or if you live in Calgary, you can also call local bylaw officers at 311.
That’s what Rock did and she says city crews were there pretty quickly to take the rodent away.
“I’m creeped out by it because then I start to wonder, if there’s one, are there more? And where are they?” Rock said.
“Now I’m on this determined path to clean out everything and look for any signs of infestation.”