Worrying new pictures are believed to be among the first to show an emerging behaviour in squirrels – using plastic bags to build their nests.

The rodent was snapped on its hind legs in London seemingly struggling under the bulk of the bags it was carrying in its arms.

It can barely see where it is going through the plastic scraps – before transferring them into its mouth and scurrying off.

The pictures are believed to be some of the first to show the behaviour in squirrels, after scientists first highlighted the phenomenon in 2018 in India.

This British squirrel was spotted by photographer Henry Jacobs, 73, while walking along the Lee Valley Navigational Canal, in Haringey.

Mr Jacobs said: ‘When I first saw it, I didn’t know what I was looking at.

‘I knew it was an animal, but I genuinely couldn’t work out what animal it was for the first few seconds.

‘It was a very unusual sight.’

He continued: ‘I thought, what is it doing with that? Why would it want plastic? It looked very odd.

‘I didn’t even know about squirrel nests until I looked it up later that day – and then I found out that they use what is available to them.’

Source:
courtesy of METRO

by Harrison Jones

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