Hundreds of ground squirrels have turned Santa Monica’s Palisades Park into their personal snack bar this spring, crowding lawns and trotting right up to sunbathers and picnickers in search of food. Visitors say the squirrels seem unusually bold and unusually plentiful, with animals running toward people and clustering anywhere a chip bag or sandwich appears. City staff and local wildlife experts say the animals’ confidence and swelling numbers are being powered by a steady stream of easy, calorie-heavy handouts from parkgoers.
The surge has been highlighted in recent coverage that quoted visitors saying, "They're very dominant squirrels. This is their park. They've taken over," and linked the boom to people feeding them processed snacks. According to WRAL, in a CNN Newsource clip posted June 9, 2026, experts say those handouts, often junk food, are supercharging local squirrel populations.
Local wildlife rehabilitator Marcia Rybak told reporters that "the problem is, it's always the food supply," urging people to stop offering crackers and chips to the animals. CBS Los Angeles reporters said they watched visitors feed squirrels cheesy crackers and even packets of ranch dressing during a recent visit, behavior that can keep more animals alive and breeding.
Why feeding worsens the boom
Feeding the squirrels creates an artificial food surplus that lets more young survive and lets adults reproduce at rates the natural habitat would not support. LAist notes that the city has posted red and white signs asking visitors not to feed birds or squirrels because the practice "creates an imbalance in native ecology" and conditions animals to seek out people for their next meal.
Past measures and county oversight
Santa Monica has been here before with ground squirrel overpopulation. The Los Angeles Times reported that the county previously cited the city over squirrel numbers and that past control efforts have included controversial tactics such as poison and gassing. The paper also notes that officials once considered birth-control shots in 2007, highlighting a long-running tension between humane treatment and worries about burrows, erosion and public health.
What residents can do
City officials and wildlife experts say the simplest and most effective fix is to stop feeding the animals and to secure food and trash so squirrels cannot raid leftovers. LAist and local reporters recommend keeping picnic foods sealed, avoiding feeding birds and squirrels, and letting park staff know about repeat feeders so the population can ease back to levels the land can naturally support.
For now, the signs scattered through Palisades Park are the city’s main tool, and wildlife rehabbers say lasting change depends on how the community behaves. If visitors cut off the handouts, experts say squirrel numbers should gradually shrink on their own as the food supply returns to what the habitat can realistically sustain.
