I don't wanna be the "squirrel defender" here but maybe chips' natural food source is scarce, could be fruit & nuts or whatever those eat.
Maybe authorities should research until they find the roots of the problem. If the squirrels are starving due to a reduction in their feeding supplies maybe the problem could get worse and expands to a broader area of the county... trapping a couple of them would be ineffective.

Francisco, your idea would be overly costly and, if you ask me, ridiculous. If the squirrels have no food then there is a good likelihood that there are too many squirrels competing for limited food sources, and the best and most humane thing would be to euthanize them, anyway. Furthermore, they're attacking little children. I don't have kids, but if a squirrel leapt on the face of any child of mine, I'd grab it and pound it into a mushy pulp on the spot.

You guys you guys, they weren't trapping innocent squirrels with nut lures, they were trapping the squirrels who chose to attack the decoy BABY STROLLERS!

- Toronto

If you are told not to bring food into the park, there is a reason, how irresponsible is it for a mom to bring food anyway and then blame the animal for taking the food? Its sad that a child got attacked, but parents need to take responsibility and not only follow rules, but also teach their children not to run at strange animals, that will scare them and they will attack, it is natural.

Both Francisco and Diana must be morons. It is not irresponsible for a mother to bring a snack for her kids to a PARK. Yes, I understand there are signs and all that. But what if you were not familiar with the town/park/hostile squirrels. I understand your concerns for rules and safety, but kids don't always listen. Do you suggest we spank our kids for trying to scare away a squirrel? Why don't you bring your kids to this park and let them have at it?

I agree with Amykins and Georgia. Nuke the squirrels for all I care. I'd pound them to bits and twist their little heads off if they attacked my kid. And I wouldn't shed a single tear for them. It's a shame, but it has to be done. If PETA has a problem with it, then they can go balls to the wall in protective garb to eradicate the squirrels by their standards (which are retarded)

They should not euthanize the squirrels, but instead should the people who were stupid enough to ignore the signs prohibiting food in the park. Wild animals have a natural fear of humans but may overcome that fear if they become imprinted and learn to recognize humans as a food source, which occurs when people feed them. They were here first and we are encroaching on their territory. If people fear squirrel attacks than maybe Thea should bring their kids to a different park and teach them not to try to take food away from animals, wild or domestic. I am a mother myself and feel bad for the child, but it is the parent's irresponsibility that caused the incident in the first place. Btw, there are more deaths and injuries in national Parks caused by deer than any other animal including bears, mountain lions, coyotes, wolves, etcetera because people see deer, think" ohh it's
Bambi!" Ans approach them thus getting hurt or killed. Should we euthanize all the
deer too? Just sayin'!

It's all anti-squirrel propaganda. Listen, I've been feeding and caring for squirrels for over 30 years. When these guys are starving, they'll go looking for food. Squirrels have different personalities. For every dozen cute guys who beg and gently take a nut from your hand, there's one wiseass who'll do the Freddy Krueger thing and swipe at your hand with his sharp nails. When it's squirrel mating season, they're particularly worked up and impatient. If there's more than one squirrel at a time--it's a Race to see who gets the most food the fastest! Naturally people can get scratched and even bit. This is further complicated by the placement of their eyes: they see in nearly 360 degrees but immediately in front of their face, like by their mouth, it's a blind spot and they rely entirely on smell to locate food.