Alberta has been 'rat-free' since 1950, according to the Alberta government. Mikelane45/Dreamstime.com

By Eli J. Ridder, Jesse Gill

NATURE

Cypress County launches fall rat patrols, residents asked to remain diligent

Nov 12, 2024 | 5:34 PM

Cypress County has launched its fall round of rat patrols, playing its role as one of the near-border municipalities keeping Alberta free of the wild rodents.

The county is charged with inspecting a section of the provincial Rat Control Zone called Range No. 1, a swath of land several kilometres in from the Saskatchewan border.

Lisa Sulz, Cypress agriculture supervisor, said crews look for potential rat habitats, knowing the rodents require food, water and shelter to survive.

“We would be checking for signs of rats in bales, in grainaries, in silage pits, in any kind of buildings that would provide a shelter or have potential food sources in them,” Sulz told CHAT News on Tuesday.

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Inspectors are largely on the lookout for Norway rats that would come from Saskatchewan, according to Sulz. Roof rats from British Columbia can make an appearance, as well.

Those who live in the area also have a crucial role to play in keeping southern Alberta rat-free, Sulz said.

Blaine Brost, who lives on a farm north of Irvine, said his family doesn’t leave garbage outside and regularly cleans out their grain bins.

“Luckily, with the transfer of the bales going back and forth in the last number of years, I haven’t actually talked, or nobody’s said anything, that they’ve ever seen a rat coming with the feed coming through,” he said.

“That shows our diligence of our county and our province of looking after it.”

Alberta’s Rat Control Program was first established in 1950 after Norway rats were discovered on a farm on the eastern border, near Alsask.

Graphic/Government of Alberta

The province was concerned that rats might spread plague throughout Alberta and created the Rat Control Zone, according to the Alberta government.

The “rat free” status means there is no resident population of rats and they are not allowed to establish themselves.

There were only 23 confirmed rat sightings in Alberta last year, none of which were in Cypress County.

Albertans like Brost help prevent rat infestations, Sulz said.

“It’s the people’s vigilance and reporting and knowing about the rat control program and that sort of thing that can help and play a part in this,” she said.

“So it’s kind of cool to be a part of that.”