Warnings Remain In Place Since Aggressive Squirrel Sent Marin Residents To ER

SAN RAFAEL, CA — After an aggressive squirrel bit multiple people in a Marin County neighborhood, sending several residents to the emergency room in the last year, wildlife officials continue to warn residents that cute as they may be, squirrels are wild animals that can carry diseases.

According to the National Park Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, some types of squirrels may be treated as game and subject to standard game regulations. They have been found to carry bacteria that cause plague in rural, northern California mountainous areas; therefore, wildlife officials say it can be dangerous to try to domesticate them.

California is home to both native gray squirrels and nonnative red fox squirrels, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. A tree squirrel is classified as a game species, and a depredation permit may be required to eradicate nuisance tree squirrels on properties, according to state wildlife officials.

Residents in the Lucas Valley-Marinwood community told KQED the squirrel attacked several people near Mount Diablo Circle and Mount Lassen Drive in 2025, approaching them aggressively before biting.*

The Marin Humane Society has said people should never hand-feed squirrels, which may make them more comfortable approaching humans. Wildlife experts also investigated whether the animal is acting aggressively to protect a nearby nest, according to KQED.

In 2025, multiple people were bitten by what residents described as an aggressive squirrel, sending at least two people to the emergency room and prompting warning flyers throughout the neighborhood. Wildlife experts later told Patch the squirrel had likely been raised or regularly fed by humans, causing it to lose its natural fear of people.

While squirrel attacks on people are uncommon, California ground squirrels are more adaptable than once believed. A UC Davis study published in 2025 found the animals can behave as opportunistic omnivores, hunting and eating small rodents when food is abundant — a discovery researchers said highlights how flexible their behavior can be.

None of the people bitten in the 2025 attacks were treated for rabies, according to KQED. Wildlife experts said squirrels rarely carry the disease, and there are no known cases of a person in the United States contracting rabies from a squirrel.

Read the full story at KQED.

*Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article did not identify the date of the Marin County squirrel attacks, which took place in 2025.