Grey squirrels in London and Philadelphia have been filmed holding and chewing on discarded vape devices, creating the appearance that the animals are smoking. Wildlife experts say the behaviour is driven by the fruity scents of the e-liquids rather than any interest in nicotine.
One widely shared video, obtained by The Telegraph in March 2026, shows a grey squirrel perched on a wooden fence in Brixton, south London. The animal grips an e-cigarette between its front paws and nibbles the plastic mouthpiece. Separate footage posted on TikTok in October 2025 by user @tts_tiktok22 captures a similar scene in a South Philadelphia yard, where a squirrel gnaws on what appears to be a disposable vape.
Craig Shuttleworth, a red squirrel expert at Bangor University, told The Telegraph the animals are almost certainly drawn by the artificial fruit flavours. “In the old days, you’d see lots of discarded cigarette butts, but I don’t remember squirrels running around with them,” he said. “It would be reasonable to assume that a vape would be more attractive than a normal tobacco product that’s not fruity.”
Kay Haw, director of the UK Squirrel Accord, offered a similar assessment. She said the squirrel is likely responding to the odour of the liquid inside and treating the device as a potential food source. Evie Button, a scientific officer at the RSPCA, noted that discarded vapes can retain strong scents for months. After dissecting one device, she reported it still smelled strongly of blueberry more than three months later.
The RSPCA described the London footage as a stark reminder of the risks litter poses to wildlife. The charity has warned that vapes contain plastic, lithium batteries and nicotine, none of which form part of a squirrel’s natural diet. Shuttleworth added that chewing could lead animals to ingest microplastics or nicotine, substances they do not encounter in the wild.
Similar sightings have been reported for years. In 2023 the RSPCA cited cases of a bird in New Zealand dying after swallowing a vape and a squirrel in Wales attempting to bury one. The UK banned the sale of single-use disposable vapes in June 2025, yet discarded devices continue to appear in parks and urban spaces.
Online reactions have mixed humour with concern. Posts recirculating the clips, including one from Complex in October 2026, often treat the images as comic relief. Experts counter that the scenes highlight a practical environmental problem: flavoured e-cigarettes left as litter become attractive hazards for urban wildlife.
