Woman Hailed a Hero for Going Above and Beyond to Help Squirrel with Cup on Its Head
I think squirrels get a bad rap. Our fuzzy-tailed friends deserve their time in the yard as much as any other small woodland creature. So why are there so many products seemingly designed to squirrel-proof every part of your property? Sure, they make short work of all the seeds in your bird feeders, but the little guys are hungry, too. It takes work to be so energetic and adorable.
And squirrels, like all other forms of wildlife, are extremely vulnerable to the dangers that humans have created in their environment. One of the biggest of these is littering. In this video, a woman stops to help a squirrel who has become trapped inside a plastic iced coffee container.
The poor thing stuck its head inside the enlarged straw hole on the lid, and can’t seem to get back out again. It’s obviously terrified, as even as she tried to approach and help it’s darting around and hiding from her, though it’s difficult for it to move with the cup stuck on its head.
Related: Squirrel Caught 'Eating for Free' at McDonald's Has People Cracking Up
Litter Kills Wildlife
Most people are familiar with the danger that plastic trash and other forms of manmade litter pose to marine wildlife. Turtles eat plastic bags thinking they are jellyfish. Marine mammals get trapped in discarded fishing nets and drown. Birds get their necks stuck inside soda-can rings.
And then there are the straws. More than twelve states have banned single-use plastic straws, and many cities are doing the same. But although there is great momentum for discontinuing the use of this one, particular plastic food item, it’s only a drop in the bucket when it comes to the amount of single use plastic consumed (and discarded) by people every day. So your iced mocha comes with a paper straw… it’s still given to you in a plastic cup that can suffocate a squirrel.
Plastic and other litter pose a huge danger to wildlife on land as well as in the sea.
How You Can Help
The first and most obvious way to prevent what nearly happened to this poor squirrel is not to litter. As the woman in this video says, “You are not the only one experiencing this world.” A squirrel has as much right to be here as anyone else, and no one wants to look at your trash.
Another simple step you can take to reducing your plastic footprint is to start carrying reusable cups and ask for your drinks to be put in those. Reusable cups have turned into a real fashion statement lately, Get in on the trend.
If you want to get more community-minded, the best way to encourage people not to litter is to make trash cans (and recycling bins) readily available on public streets. Studies show that the number of available trash cans can have a huge psychological impact on people’s tendency to litter. If a trash can is only a few feet away, people will use it. That’s why Walt Disney famously placed a trash can every thirty feet in Disney World.
(Yes, we know squirrels can fish things out of the trash if they want.)
And finally start lobbying your community and the businesses you frequent to use fewer single-use plastics. After all, it worked for straws.
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