For over seven decades, Alberta has prided itself on being officially rat-free, a status shared only with Antarctica and the high Arctic. This reputation was shaken when the town of Bowden announced the discovery of a dead rat and activated its 'rat patrol' to investigate. Officials urged residents to report any signs of rat activity, emphasizing vigilance despite not disclosing the exact location of the find.

The discovery comes amid global rat population surges linked to rising temperatures, with cities like Washington DC (up 390%), San Francisco (up 300%), and New York (up 162%) seeing dramatic increases over the past decade. Toronto has also experienced a 'perfect rat storm,' with numbers rising 186% in ten years. Alberta’s long-standing rat-free status stems from its Rat Control Program, established in 1950, which leverages the province’s geography—mountain ranges and boreal forests—as natural barriers.

The Norway rat, deemed highly destructive, cannot survive in Alberta’s vast natural areas or overwinter in cultivated fields. Historical measures include a 373-mile-by-18-mile rat control zone along the Saskatchewan border, the use of 140,000 pounds of arsenic trioxide on over 8,000 buildings in the early 1950s, and legal mandates under the Agricultural Pests Act requiring rat destruction. Public awareness campaigns, including posters and the radio show 'Call of the Land,' reinforced community involvement.

While the rat patrol still fields hundreds of annual calls—most misidentifications of muskrats or voles—it acknowledges that isolated rat incursions can occur, reaffirming that 'rat-free' means no resident population, not absolute immunity.