Yes

Forty five years ago we used a similar set up to kill rats in the mine. Lots of rats underground back then. We had track laid, 80 pound rail, with a 440 volt dc trolley line suspended on insulated hangers running over the track. You strip a piece of 12 gauge copper telephone wire…make a hook to hang it from the hot trolley line and a hook on the other end, four inches overtop the rail. ( the rails are your grounding for the trolley circuit ). Put a chunk of smelly bait on the end above the rail. The rat hops up on the rail to get the bait, bites into the hot wire, grounds out on the rail. Worked pretty good.

Funny