File talk:Brown rat distribution.png
Alberta[edit]
The Canadian province of en:Alberta, at least, famously claims to be rat-free, so should probably be excluded; this applies to large areas of Saskatchewan, too, I assume.
RandomP 12:57, 29 June 2007 (UTC)
- While yes, there are sources which indicate that, there are a great many areas which are presumably rat free (deserts, lakes, etc.). I disagree, however, that such should be reflected in this crude scale map. The inclusion of fine scaled features on a map would lead the reader to think the map has a higher degree of accuracy than is reflected in the creation of it. This should be avoided. Reverting to the outline form. --TeaDrinker (talk) 21:25, 3 September 2010 (UTC)
- Disagree. Official sources from Alberta state the province remains rat-free, as a result of a full-time rat patrol employed by the government. Saskatchewan is not rat-free. I don't believe the objective of Wikimedia/Wikipedia is necessarily parsimony before accuracy. We have information about Alberta's rat status from numerous sources. What expectations do we have about viewers? I hope that they would investigate beyond just glancing at a map. It should be self evident that rats don't thrive in the central Sahara, but we have no information from the Malian or Libyan governments to support this, so it is conjecture. However, we have good evidence that there are no established rat populations in Alberta. FinnHK (talk) 21:23, 9 September 2013 (UTC)
- Or we have the claims of self-promotion by an agency that frankly couldn't possibly succeed based on the nature of the animal. It's a dubious claim at best. Frankly, it makes the map look ridiculous, as the idea that rat populations exactly follow the provincial borders, as the map shows, is just plain absurd. Oknazevad (talk) 01:09, 29 November 2017 (UTC)
- Disagree. Official sources from Alberta state the province remains rat-free, as a result of a full-time rat patrol employed by the government. Saskatchewan is not rat-free. I don't believe the objective of Wikimedia/Wikipedia is necessarily parsimony before accuracy. We have information about Alberta's rat status from numerous sources. What expectations do we have about viewers? I hope that they would investigate beyond just glancing at a map. It should be self evident that rats don't thrive in the central Sahara, but we have no information from the Malian or Libyan governments to support this, so it is conjecture. However, we have good evidence that there are no established rat populations in Alberta. FinnHK (talk) 21:23, 9 September 2013 (UTC)
- This is an important piece of information about this animal, that can be communicated very quickly just but leaving the map how it was. Also there seem to be reputable sources that this is true, and not that it is false. According to what I have read, only the eastern provincial boundary really needs to be obeyed by the rats, as rats can't really travel that well from the other three directions. This makes me think that the map is also imperfect in other ways, since it claims that the areas immediately to the north and south of alberta are also good places for rats. I hope somebody will get to the bottom of this some day, but until then, I think the map showing what we do know about alberta being rat free is the best option. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackie2541 (talk • contribs) 10:13, 3 December 2017 (UTC)
- So essentially you already admit that there's no way the borders are accurate. And you've been revert warring against multiple different editors at this point. Maybe you should just leave it. Oknazevad (talk) 22:15, 11 December 2017 (UTC)
- I get it. Two against one. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackie2541 (talk • contribs) 10:29, 29 April 2018 (UTC)
- So essentially you already admit that there's no way the borders are accurate. And you've been revert warring against multiple different editors at this point. Maybe you should just leave it. Oknazevad (talk) 22:15, 11 December 2017 (UTC)
- This is an important piece of information about this animal, that can be communicated very quickly just but leaving the map how it was. Also there seem to be reputable sources that this is true, and not that it is false. According to what I have read, only the eastern provincial boundary really needs to be obeyed by the rats, as rats can't really travel that well from the other three directions. This makes me think that the map is also imperfect in other ways, since it claims that the areas immediately to the north and south of alberta are also good places for rats. I hope somebody will get to the bottom of this some day, but until then, I think the map showing what we do know about alberta being rat free is the best option. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jackie2541 (talk • contribs) 10:13, 3 December 2017 (UTC)
Please cite sources to support your assertions. en:Brown_rat#Alberta has ten sources supporting the assertion that Alberta is rat-free. If you have sources that say that's incorrect or an exaggeration, they should be introduced to the en.wiki article. -Apocheir (talk) 23:35, 25 September 2018 (UTC)
The boundaries[edit]
It seems most of the discussion is around whether or not it is credible to put arbitrary provincial boundaries as distribution for the common brown rat, considering how absurd it seems that they respect provincial borders.
But then the lines at the top of the map, the arctic zones where the rats supposedly do not live, are also arbitrary, if not based on political boundaries, some other arbitrary boundary, are they not?
It also seems important that a map about the distribution about the animal actually educates and realistically shows the places where the animal is and isn't found.
Maybe the map could be changed so that it only fills or does not fill country or state borders. IE "the rat is found in Canada" instead of arbitrary boundaries. Or maybe just make the boundaries appear literally blurry if it's that much of an issue. 76.64.118.162 21:56, 3 May 2020 (UTC)
Media coverage of this image's edit war[edit]
- Kohlstedt, Kurt (2020-08-07). Extinction Agenda: How Border Patrols Enforce a Uniquely Rat-Free Alberta. 99% Invisible. Retrieved on 2020-08-12.
