Alberta’s Rat Patrol is investigating after a dead rat was reported in the Bowden area.

The Town of Bowden disclosed the discovery on social media Sept. 24 and said provincial rat-control personnel had been sent to investigate and dispose of the carcass.

The town did not identify the exact location where the rat was found.

Residents have been asked to watch for droppings, damage or other possible signs of rat activity and report anything suspicious.

The discovery does not by itself mean Alberta has lost its rat-free status.

The provincial government defines rat-free as having no resident population of rats. Individual rats and small infestations occasionally enter the province, but provincial and municipal personnel work to isolate and remove them before they can establish a breeding population.

Alberta has operated its Rat Control Program since 1950, when Norway rats were discovered near the Saskatchewan boundary.

The province established a control zone along the eastern border to prevent rats from spreading west. The zone is about 600 kilometres long and 29 kilometres wide, extending from the Montana boundary to the Cold Lake area.

Municipal pest-control inspectors, farmers and provincial personnel monitor the zone and respond to reported sightings elsewhere in Alberta.

The province says between 2,000 and 4,000 properties are inspected each year. Since 1959, between one and five infestations have generally been confirmed annually.

Individual rats that arrive on vehicles or in transported goods are reported more frequently than established infestations.

Hundreds of possible rat sightings are submitted by residents each year, but the province says many of the animals are later identified as muskrats, mice or other native rodents.

Anyone who sees a suspected rat should take a photograph when it is safe, record the location and contact the provincial program. Reports can be emailed to rats@gov.ab.ca or made by calling 310-FARM.

Reports can also be directed to a municipal agricultural fieldman or pest-control inspector.

Private ownership of rats, including domesticated pet rats, is prohibited in Alberta. Zoos, universities, colleges and recognized research facilities may keep rats under limited exemptions.

The Bowden report remains under investigation. A carcass alone does not establish that rats are living or breeding in the surrounding area.