CALGARY - Calgary has confirmed that a Norway rat was found in the southeast community of Auburn Bay, giving another black eye to the province that's boasted a "rat-free" status since the 1950s.

The news comes after a colony with dozens of rats or more was discovered in Medicine Hat. The city is in the process of exterminating the critters.

"We're not going to be the ones that brings down the province's standing as rat-free," said Brandy Calvert, a spokeswoman for the city about 300 km southeast of Calgary. "We are determined and the province is determined that this will be taken care of."

"They're killed with extreme prejudice," said John Patton, president of the Pest Management Association of Alberta.

But it might not be an isolated incident. Don Evanson found a rotting dead vermin on Monday near his Auburn Bay home.

He took the rat and put it in garbage, but when he heard the news about a rat colony in Medicine Hat he decided to call Calgary's Animal and Bylaw Services on Friday morning.

"A dead individual rodent was collected by a bylaw officer based on a call from a resident who found it near his property," said officials in a statement.

"Animal and Bylaw Services suspects the rat is likely a pet rat that escaped but has been unable to confirm that suspicion."

No other evidence of rat activity has been found in the area, but a secondary search will be conducted this afternoon and the area will be monitored on an ongoing basis until bylaw officers are satisfied there are no more rats associated with this incident.

The province of Alberta has strategically fought off rat infestations in the province since 1950, with municipal pest control inspectors, buried garbage dumps, public awareness campaigns, mandatory pesticide use and strict laws against keeping rats as pets.

The Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development site calls the rat control program "a source of pride to the citizens of Alberta."