It’s not that there are no rats in Alberta; they are just actively illegal there and hence uncommon. If rats are found on your property, the government can compel you to exterminate them. Rats cannot be kept as pets.

Dead rats and even small infestations of rats have been found before so I don't understand what makes this one special.

[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 11 points 1 hour ago

Over the past decade, rats increased by 390% in Washington DC

These things just write themselves, don’t they?

[–] radiofreebc@lemmy.world 8 points 1 hour ago

Her name is Marlaina

[–] sbv@sh.itjust.works 3 points 57 minutes ago (1 children)

And it's due to climate change. Fitting.

[–] rabber@lemmy.ca 0 points 14 minutes ago (1 children)

How so? Alberta's climate is getting less harsh but it was never the reason that rats weren't present. There are much more hostile environments in Canada that have rats.

I also think that Alberta was never truly rat free. I know people who have seen them in Calgary before. There is just no way that they magically disappear at the BC border for instance. Rats crawl into people's vehicles and then those vehicles go back to Alberta.

[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 1 points 5 minutes ago (1 children)

There are supposed to be no breeding rat population. People see lots of other things and think they are rats.

[–] rabber@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 minutes ago* (last edited 2 minutes ago)

The rat hotline publishes stats: https://www.alberta.ca/rat-control-program-statistics

Effectively no rats but they do pop up.

Lots of people mistake muskrats as rats, that's true

[–] Sunshine@piefed.ca 5 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Probably why the UCP is politically done.

[–] shittydwarf@piefed.ca 6 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Could be the Premier conspiring with foreign governments that's been identified?

[–] Sunshine@piefed.ca 2 points 1 hour ago

Rat fell out of a window American style.