Recently ranked the rattiest of the country’s major cities, Washington has an ongoing rat problem—one long met with furrowed brows, pointed fingers, and no lasting solutions. We are at war, we have always been at war, and no matter what weapons we deploy, our furry, formidable, four-legged foes just keep winning. Can anything turn the tide? Earlier this month, Ward 4 Council member Janeese Lewis-George introduced the Rodent Accountability and Transparency Amendment Act, or RAT Act, to improve enforcement and transparency of rodent sightings. Meanwhile, Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon promised additional federal action. “I’m going to draft legislation that tasks the city of DC to kill all the rats,” he posted on X. “I hate them with a vengeance.” When it comes to getting and keeping rats out of DC, hate and vengeance are familiar sentiments to many locals. But neither is a plan. To better understand how our city could turn a perpetual quagmire into actual victory, it helps to look north: For over 75 years, the province of Alberta, Canada, has run the most successful rat regulation and removal program on Earth, enjoying a nearly-rat free status. How do they do it? And what can we learn? For answers, we spoke with Alberta rat and pest specialist Karen “Rat Lady” Wickerson, who has run the province’s rat control program for six years. “You can walk down a back alley in Edmonton or Calgary, and you can go bang a dumpster and you’re not going to have rats coming out,” she said. “I think it’s hard for people in other jurisdictions to believe too, particularly in big cities in Canada and the US.” How different is life in the city of Alberta? Last year, Alberta had 875 reported rat sightings—a record number, Wickerson said. But out of the 875 reports, just 47 were confirmed to be rats.  The majority of the rest were misidentified muskrats or mice—an entirely different species, genus and family—suggesting that locals see so few rats, they’re not always sure what rats look like. By contrast, DC in 2024 ranked ahead of Chicago (!) and New York City (!!) for its rate of reported rat sightings, with about 200 complaints per 10,000 residents. Informed of this statistic, Wickerson grimaced. Her voice said “wow”; her expression said “yikes.” Out of genuine concern, or maybe sympathy, or possibly just pity, she explained some of the secrets of Albert’s success—principles DC could adopt: Government support and a rat DMZ In 1950, the government of Alberta officially declared rats an agricultural pest, citing their ability to cause serious damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and spread disease. At the time, rats were migrating westward across Canada from the east coast, where they were first introduced via ships. Around the same time, Alberta established a “Rat Control Zone,” a buffer-like zone along the Alberta/Saskatchewan border in which specialized pest control officers perform rat control, “rat proof” barns and homes, and inspect farms in Alberta’s agriculturally heavy terrain twice a year.  “You have to have the resources to enforce that,” Wickerson said. “Even though you say that rats are a pest, you have to have enough people to go out and enforce that.” Wickerson said people tend to imagine her job comes straight out of an action movie: “I think people think that we have this big team, and the car with the big lights on it.” In reality, things are a lot more calm, with just her and her assistant pulling up to a home or barn, supported by pest control officers and armed with a peanut-butter laden rat trap with an unlucky rodent’s name on it. Through the Agricultural Pests Act, a key piece of rat control legislation, Wickerson said, every city is required to have a designated pest control officer, who is responsible for overseeing any infestations and reportings in their municipality. Public Buy-In and a Robust Rat Reporting Program Between Canada’s cold and harsh winters, bordering mountains in the west of the province, and professional rat control efforts, Alberta makes life difficult for four-legged would-be intruders. Wickerson stresses it’s just as important for residents to join the fight—for instance, by reducing litter for rats to eat. “In Canada, people don’t litter,” she said, saying it was “eye-opening” to see a different environment during her visit to New York city to attend a rodent control academy. “It’s a mentality thing.” Other small, individual acts that make a big collective difference? Making sure garbage is contained with secure containers and lids, and rat-proofing homes with measures such as sealing window screens. “It can be hard to convince people to do their part,” Wickerson said, but “buy-in from the public” is important.” That includes snitching. People can report rat sightings directly to government websites, email to the aptly-addressed [email protected], or call their local rat patrol. The province even has an official tattle-tale slogan and logo—“Rat on Rats”—featured on billboards, flyers, merchandise, hats, stickers, and T-shirts: Courtesy of Alberta Invasive Species Council “If we have an infestation, we have a program to fall back on, so that we can eradicate them,” Wickerson said. I had to ask: “e-rat-icated?” “Yes, e-rat-icated,” Wickerson confirmed.The post A Canadian Province is Winning the War on Rats. What Can DC Learn? first appeared on Washingtonian. ...read more read less