Among the many reasons to not litter is keeping squirrels away from vaping.
The U.K.’s The Telegraph has obtained video of a squirrel in a London park picking up a discarded vape and chewing on its mouthpiece.
“The sight of this squirrel holding a disposable vape is a stark reminder of the danger discarded litter poses to our wildlife,” a spokesperson for the U.K. animal welfare organization RSPCA tells The Telegraph.
Squirrel expert Craig Shuttleworth of Bangor University adds that vapes might be more alluring to wildlife than regular cigarettes due to their fruity flavor.
“In the old days, you’d see lots of discarded cigarette butts, but I don’t remember squirrels running around with them,” Shuttleworth says. “It would be reasonable to assume that a vape would be more attractive than a normal tobacco product that’s not fruity.”
“You don’t want animals ingesting nicotine,” he adds. “They don’t encounter nicotine in the wild, so like many chemicals, it’s something you don’t want them exposed to.”
Hopefully future Ice Age sequels won’t feature Scrat holding a vape instead of an acorn.