WE ARE 100% INDEPENDENT AND READER-FUNDED. FOR A GUARANTEED AD-FREE EXPERIENCE AND TO SUPPORT REAL NEWS, PLEASE SIGN UP HERE, TODAY.
PULSE POINTS
❓WHAT HAPPENED: Viral videos have surfaced showing squirrels “vaping” after confusing vape devices with food, sparking concerns about the impact of discarded e-cigarettes on wildlife.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Wildlife experts, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and TikTok users and others capturing the incidents.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Videos were recorded in Brixton, South London, and Philadelphia, with additional reports from Wales and New Zealand.
💬KEY QUOTE: “They don’t encounter nicotine in the wild, so like many chemicals, it’s something you don’t want them exposed to.” – Craig Shuttleworth, Bangor University.
🎯IMPACT: Concerns raised over the harmful effects of vaping devices on wildlife, pets, and humans, with calls for better disposal practices.
IN FULL
Squirrels have been recorded “vaping” with discarded e-cigarettes in a number of viral videos shared on social media. Experts believe the animals are attracted to the fruity aroma emitted by the devices, mistaking them for food, in locations from Brixton in south London, England, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Craig Shuttleworth, a red squirrel expert at Bangor University in Wales, commented on the phenomenon, stating, “In the old days, you’d see lots of discarded cigarette butts, but I don’t remember squirrels running around with them. It would be reasonable to assume that a vape would be more attractive than a normal tobacco product that’s not fruity.”
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in Britain has highlighted the risks that discarded vaping devices pose to wildlife. The RSPCA referenced a 2023 case in New Zealand in which a bird died after swallowing a vape and noted that many such incidents likely go unreported.
Domestic pets have also been affected by vaping products. The Veterinary Poisons Information Service has received 680 calls regarding vape-related incidents involving pets since 2017, the vast majority involving dogs. According to RSPCA Scientific Officer Evie Button, some pets have died after consuming vape liquids.
The broader health implications of vaping for humans are a significant concern. The American Heart Association has described the rise in youth vaping as “a serious public health threat,” with police in North Carolina and elsewhere finding that vape stores are selling vapes to children.
Notably, vape stores represent a threat to the built environment as well as wildlife, with one unregistered store in Glasgow, Scotland, recently causing a fire that destroyed a 175-year-old building and closed down the country’s largest railway station, located nearby, for days.
🚨#BREAKING: Watch as viral video captured in South London show squirrels vaping with discarded e-cigarettes, seemingly drawn in by the fruity scent after mistaking it for food. pic.twitter.com/a3N4rZ9aHg
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 24, 2026
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.
show less
