A Mission woman says her attempt to save a skunk whose head was stuck in a plastic cup is a reminder about the danger littering poses to animals.

Tanya Krasuin was leaving for work Wednesday morning when she came across the trapped critter.

"As I was walking to my car, I could hear plastic dragging against the ground," she said. "I looked around as it was an odd sound and saw a skunk in my front yard, kind of struggling to find his way."

Krasuin has rescued a skunk before, but this is her first time dealing with an animal whose head was stuck.

She rushed back into her home to drop off her belongings and to grab materials to help free the animal.

"I came out with some bags and kind of sprung into action. I didn't think about it too much," she said.

In the video, Krasuin wraps her hand in a bag and tries to remove the plastic Burger King cup without being sprayed, all while reassuring the animal that she's trying to help.

"I just kept trying to work up the courage to do it," she said.

After several attempts, Krasuin was able to pry the cup off but was sprayed by in the process.

She says it's an important reminder for people about the dangers of littering.

"I think it's important that people realize that something so minor to us like a plastic cup, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but to something as small as a skunk it can be deadly," she said.

Conservation officers echoed her sentiments.

"This happened because of littering," said Marc Plamondon, with the B.C. Conservation Officer Service. "If people do see people littering they can phone them in to the RAPP line and if we're in the area we can go talk to them about it and issue them a ticket."

The RAPP line is a toll free tip line to contact conservation officers.

Plamondon says Krasuin didn't do anything wrong by stepping in to help the animal, but suggested wearing gloves and a long sleeved shirt to reduce the chance of injuries.

"If the people are willing to help, like in the video, then great. I don't see an issue with that. We just ask that people don't put themselves at risk of being bitten or scratched too much."