Traveler reunited with lost taxidermy rat after nearly a year

May 4 (UPI) -- An unusual piece of property in a Utah airport's lost and found was returned to its owner nearly a year later when she recognized her taxidermy rat in a TV news report.

Brett Christensen, supervisor of the lost and found at Salt Lake City International Airport, said the taxidermy rat was one of the most unusual items staff had come across. He said workers dubbed the rat "Stuart" and adopted it as an office mascot.

"We started getting hats for him. He's got a cowboy hat, and a black top hat," Christensen told KSL-TV.

A KSL-TV report on the unusual items at the lost and found came to the attention of Carrie Poulsen's husband.

"My husband called and he said you're not going to believe it," she said. "You know that rat you've been mourning?"

Poulson said she returned to Utah from New York in August after attending a taxidermy class. She said she was dismayed when she arrived home and realized she had lost her rat.

The traveler said she hadn't checked the lost and found for the rat because she was convinced that she had left it in a ride-sharing car.

Poulson said she was delighted to be reunited with her stuffed rat, which she said the lost and found staff kept in good condition.

"Last couple years have been kind of tough, and so this is just like a solid win for the travel industry, for taxidermists everywhere," Poulsen said.