Canada district seeks public's help naming taxidermy rat

March 14 (UPI) -- A district in Canada sought out the help of its citizens to name a taxidermy rat to raise awareness about rodent control.

Municipal District of Bonnyville in Alberta shared a photo of the taxidermy Norway rat and encouraged residents to submit potential names on social media for the chance to win a $100 gift card for Boston Pizza and take a photo with the rat that will bear their chosen name.

"It's for educational purposes, so people can actually see what a Norway rat looks like," Kirby Claybert, a regional pest control officer told the CBC. "Because Alberta's rat-free, so many people in their lifetime have never seen a Norway rat, or what it looks like."

Claybert said he was surprised by how the contest "took off" receiving 250 submissions in about a week.

"We thought it would be just a few people, but it just snowballed. And we're literally getting hundreds of requests for names," he said.

The contest will continue through, April 21 giving Claybert even more amusing name suggestions to peruse.

"A few of them I had a really good laugh at, but I'm going to leave it everybody to pick their own," Claybert said.