Santa Monica created a squirrel buffet and got a squirrel problem

Santa Monica accidentally opened a cliffside squirrel casino.

CBS LA found the squirrels eating cheesy crackers and ranch dressing, which is funny until you remember these are native ground squirrels that normally burrow into the bluffs above the Pacific. Wildlife experts say the buffet has helped their numbers swell, and while the erosion question is still being studied, a cliff full of overfed burrowing animals does not sound like a long-term infrastructure plan.

This is the usual human-wildlife spiral. People feed the cute animal. The cute animal tells 400 friends. Then the city has to put up signs explaining that no, the squirrel does not need your cracker, your fries, or your packet of ranch.

The squirrels are not the villains. They are merely responding to the all-you-can-eat buffet we built for them.