{"id":856823,"date":"2026-06-10T05:51:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/856823\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T05:51:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T05:51:20","slug":"santa-monica-scrambling-to-slow-squirrel-population-as-palisades-park-overrun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/856823\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Monica scrambling to slow squirrel population as Palisades Park overrun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Squirrels have taken over a Santa Monica park<\/a>, with the coastal city asking residents for help in curbing the burgeoning population of the four-legged critters.<\/p>\n

The squirrel situation has exploded at Santa Monica\u2019s Palisades Park in recent years, which is attributed to people feeding the animals junk food.<\/p>\n

This abundant food supply has caused the squirrel populace<\/a> to skyrocket, with city officials now urging residents to stop feeding the squirrels in an effort to curb their population.<\/p>\n

Squirrels have started to take over a Santa Monica park, with the coastal city asking residents for help in curbing the burgeoning population of the four-legged critters.<\/p>\n

The squirrel population at Santa Monica\u2019s Palisades Park has exploded in recent years, which is attributed to people feeding the squirrels junk food. CBS LA<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem is, it\u2019s always the food supply,\u201d Marcia Rybak, the director of Coast and Canyon Wildlife Rehabilitation told CBS News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is shelter and food with wildlife, or all animals, really,\u201d she continued, adding that more drastic measures to remove the squirrels would not be as effective as getting people to stop feeding them.<\/p>\n

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Video taken from the park on Monday showed dozens of squirrels<\/a> meandering about, some snacking on food items such as cheese crackers and even a packet of ranch dressing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re very dominant squirrels,\u201d said Nicole Smith, who was at the park on Monday. \u201cThis is their park. They\u2019ve taken over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video taken from the park on Monday showed dozens of squirrels meandering about, some snacking on food items such as cheese crackers and even a packet of ranch dressing. CBS LA<\/p>\n

Another visitor, Joe Affleck, added, \u201cI do understand both sides, and you don\u2019t want to go down the path of getting rid of what\u2019s naturally there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Another unidentified visitor told CBS on camera that the squirrels were, \u201csuper cute,\u201d adding, \u201cwe were wondering why they\u2019re, yeah, everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The squirrels are native to the area, with their natural habitat burrowed into the cliffs surrounding the park, with the city posting signs last year to try and get residents to stop feeding them.<\/p>\n

The signs say that feeding birds and squirrels, \u201ccreates an imbalance in native ecology,\u201d adding that it, \u201cincreases their dependence on people for food.\u201d<\/p>\n

The signs say that feeding birds and squirrels, \u201ccreates an imbalance in native ecology,\u201d adding that it, \u201cincreases their dependence on people for food.\u201d CBS LA<\/p>\n

When asked if the squirrel population explosion has caused any erosion into the cliffside, Rybak said, \u201cWell, I don\u2019t know if we\u2019ve actually seen erosion caused by ground squirrels, but it could happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rybak did say that city leaders considered an idea 20 years ago to give squirrels birth control, though that never came to fruition, adding that a sudden decrease in food could lead to more aggressive behaviors.<\/p>\n

Smith was also asked if she thought the squirrels should be removed from the park, but she responded saying, \u201cI think they\u2019re fine. Leave the squirrels alone. Save the wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n

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