Officials are urging the public to stop feeding the squirrels in Palisades Park in Santa Monica because the population is out of control.
A sign outside the park reads that feeding the squirrels “creates an imbalance in native ecology” and “increases their dependence on people for food.”
But that’s not the only problem.
During a Pismo Beach City Council meeting last month, officials said the squirrels were creating burrows that were damaging the bluffs, KSBY reported.
One resident told KNX News’ Karen Adams he’s seen the damage the squirrels have caused.
“I have seen some major holes on this side of the boardwalk that they had tunneled underneath, and I haven't seen that ever,” he said. “I mean, I've been here 10 years and I never saw that before, but there [are] two of them over there with giant holes.”
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But Andrew, a resident in Santa Monica, said that people aren’t constantly feeding the squirrels.
“I mean, most of the time, if you look around, nobody's feeding those guys, and they're all getting the food from the nutrients on the grass,” he said.
During that meeting, city officials said they stopped baiting the squirrels a couple of years ago because there were concerns other animals would ingest the bait.
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