For more than 70 years, Alberta has been one of the few places in North America where rats have not been able to establish a permanent population. This rat-free status has been shared with remote regions like Antarctica and the Arctic, where harsh environments make it difficult for rats to survive. However, this status may now be under threat after a dead rat was discovered in the small town of Bowden. Local officials have alerted the provincial “Rat Patrol” to investigate and have asked residents to report any signs of rats, such as droppings or sightings. Alberta’s rat-free status is the result of a long-standing program aimed at preventing the spread of Norway rats, a species known for damaging crops and spreading disease. The province's Rat Control Program, established in 1950, was created in response to fears that rats could threaten agriculture. Alberta’s geography, including its mountain ranges and boreal forests, makes it difficult for rats to survive in the wild or overwinter in farmland. To reinforce this natural barrier, the province created a “rat control zone” in the 1950s—a large strip of land along the border with Saskatchewan. This area was treated with arsenic trioxide, a toxic chemical, to prevent the spread of rats from neighboring regions. The efforts to keep Alberta rat-free have included legal measures and public education. In 1950, the province updated its Agricultural Pests Act, requiring individuals and municipalities to destroy any rats they found. Public awareness campaigns, including posters and a radio show called Call of the Land, helped reinforce the importance of keeping the province rat-free. Today, residents can report suspected rat sightings through dedicated phone lines and email addresses. However, most reports are actually about other small rodents like muskrats, voles, and field mice, which are not considered invasive in the same way as Norway rats. Despite the province’s rat-free status, it does not mean that rats are never seen. Alberta officials emphasize that while there is no established population of rats, individual rats can still be encountered, often as stowaways in vehicles or cargo. The discovery in Bowden has prompted renewed vigilance, as even a single rat could indicate a larger problem. The province continues to monitor for any signs of a potential infestation, maintaining its long-standing reputation as a region where rats are not allowed to take root.