The Palisades Park squirrels, under a new program,  will be injected  with an immuno-contraceptive vaccine to stunt their sexual development and as a strong birth control measure.  Joe McGrath, the city's parks chief said. "We don't want to kill them if we don't have to, but we also have to be receptive to the county's concerns."
Health officials reported that the squirrels, which are above 1,000 in the park, pose a public health risk. They warn that the rodents are aggressive and may carry rabies or host fleas that can spread disease, such as bubonic plague.
Los Angeles County had warned that  since 1998, Santa Monica has been cited many a time for squirrel overpopulation. But the suppression methods it has used, including euthanasia, have angered animal-loving activists.  Santa Monica would be the second city in the state, after Berkeley, to try the immunization program.
Animal activist Catherine Rich said she supports the vaccine program but expressed her apprehensions about any health risk posed by the squirrels.