After facing death threats in Alberta, Matilda is on her way back to Vancouver and getting a boyfriend. She’s a rat, and therefore illegal in Calgary where her family recently relocated.
She’s expected to return home tomorrow thanks to Little Mischief Rescue, a small-animal rescue centre in Vancouver.
Alberta claims to be rat free and the animals are banned as pets. Matilda’s family gave her up to animal-services officials in that province, who then called Little Mischief.
“Up until one-and-a-half years ago, it was unheard of that a rat made it out of Alberta safely,” said Simone Bur, director of Little Mischief. “They would just kill them.”
Matilda is the sixth rat to be rescued from Alberta by the organization. Bur said she stepped in because the B.C. SPCA chose not to get involved.
Matilda already has a Vancouver home lined up, where she’ll be joining a single male rat who “needs another girlfriend,” Bur said. His last one just died.
But there’ll be no mischief in their future — the boy rat has been neutered.
