You’re sitting in the Sculpture Garden, submitting a Stats 10 assignment and munching on a leftover sandwich from The Study, when you feel someone watching you. You turn your head and find yourself face to face with two eager black eyes and a swaying brown tail. That half-eaten sandwich you left sitting on your backpack? Suddenly it’s a race to see who can grab it first. And we’ve got some bad news for you: you’ll probably lose. They’re courageous, they’re quick, they’re kleptomaniacs — they’re the squirrels of UCLA.
These creatures have garnered a large following for their emboldened behavior around campus. UCLA squirrels rummaging through garbage cans or slinking around students isn’t new, but their bravery seems to have transformed into a haughty arrogance this Fall Quarter. After months and months of free snacks, the squirrels have grown accustomed to and are almost expectant of human treats. If you have food anywhere near you, you might also anticipate a few furry friends. The viciousness of the squirrels has become something of a meme within the UCLA community.
Students have taken to social media to document their personal squirrel-related encounters. This Tik Tok offers a firsthand video of the rodents’ fearlessness:
An r/ucla subreddit post describes six squirrels joining forces to ambush someone:
And when they’re not harassing students, UCLA’s squirrels are snatching snacks and posing for photos. Here are some reactions on Instagram and Tik Tok:
So, what should you do if a UCLA squirrel tries to steal from (or brawl with) you? Politely shoo them away or attempt to ignore them. If this fails, it might be time to find a new study spot. Another piece of advice: don’t feed them. The last thing we want is for the squirrels to dig through more garbage cans and digest something inedible. And personally feeding the squirrels will only make them dependent on free hand-outs, which isn’t animal-friendly either. As harmless and photogenic as they seem, it’s best we leave the UCLA squirrels to themselves. With hope, they’ll leave us alone too!