California Squirrels

(Santa Monica, California) Frankly, I've always believed that Californians behaved squirrely. Now we know the reason. Too many squirrels.

Officials have tried poison, gassing and euthanasia to control a breeding frenzy among squirrels in a city park here. Now, they plan to give birth control a shot.

A new program that would start this summer calls for squirrels in Palisades Park to be injected with an immuno-contraceptive vaccine to stunt sexual development.

Santa Monica would be only the second city in the state, besides Berkeley, to try the immunization program.

"We don't want to kill them if we don't have to," said Joe McGrath, the city's parks chief. "I personally like squirrels, but we also have to be receptive to the county's concerns. When you are dealing with mammals, people get upset."

Heh.