More dead rats have been discovered in the Medicine Hat Regional Landfill and Alberta’s Rat Patrol Team has been called in to help eradicate the rodents.
Three members of the team arrived on Monday and are setting up additional traps.
There were originally 40 traps set up in and around the area and that number has been increased to 190.
“The dead rats have all been in the vicinity of the colony. They have spotted some live rats that are a little further away from the colony,” said Ed Jollymore from Solid Waste Services.
The Rat Patrol Team will help local crews to contain the infestation.
“We are not nearly as experienced as them and also the extra hand we will obviously need to get the big traps out,” said Jason Storch, Cyprus County Agriculture Landman.
Crews killing the rats in Medicine Hat hope to have the problem under control within two months, but admit it could take much, much longer.
“We’re realistically looking at two months to get this particular nest under control and to the point of saying that it can be eradicated. But we realize that it could take us two years to really get them all,” said Jollymore.
So far, 86 rats have been found at the landfill and 17 more were discovered in nearby Cypress County. Another 12 rats have also been found inside the city of Medicine Hat since January, bringing the total for the area to 115.
