Overview
- Viral clips from south London show gray squirrels biting discarded disposable vapes, with similar footage reported in Philadelphia.
- Craig Shuttleworth of Bangor University and other specialists say sweet flavorings in vape liquid attract the animals rather than nicotine.
- Biting these devices can harm wildlife through nicotine exposure, shed microplastics, sharp metal parts, and lithium batteries that can ignite if crushed.
- The RSPCA cites about five million single-use vapes discarded each week before sales limits and notes cases from a dead bird in New Zealand to hundreds of pet poison calls since 2017.
- Animal-welfare groups urge people to keep used vapes out of parks and take them to battery recycling points or stores that accept device take-backs.