Suspected dead rat found in S.E. building
What may be a Norway rat was found in the southeast community of Midnapore on Thursday morning.
Paul Barnett, who works for Trotter & Morton, was doing mechanical work at an apartment complex in the 800 block of Midridge Drive S.E.
When he opened the door to the mechanical room in one of the buildings, Barnett said he immediately smelled and then found a dead animal that he believes is a rat.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen one in Calgary,” he said.
Barnett, originally from Ontario where he says rats are more common, has been living in Calgary for nine years. He said he’ll often see dead mice, but never anything this size.
Alberta has a program in place since the 1950s to keep the province free of Norway rats, the most common type, due to the destruction and contamination they can cause to food and buildings.
Barnett contacted the city and Patty Robinson, from Calgary animal and bylaw services, responded.
She said that while it’s not uncommon to get a call about rats, it’s typically only a squirrel missing the fur on its tail or another small creature.
“It’s very rare that it’s actually a rat,” she said.
When asked if she thought it could be a rat, Robinson said it’s hard to tell because a lot of things look similar “when they’re dead.”
The complex backs on to fish Creek Provincial Park and the animal may have got inside through an exterior vent.
Identifiable by their tapering and mostly hairless tails, a Norway rat can measure up to 25 centimetres long and weigh around half a kilogram.
Animal and bylaw services asks anyone who sees a rat to call 311 or 403-268-2489.