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Squirrel Peanut sparks internet frenzy after being killed by New York State

Posted on by Pranco
Squirrel Peanut sparks internet frenzy after being killed by New York State

Social media users have expressed outrage after US animal owner Mark Longo had his pet squirrel Peanut forcibly euthanized by New York state last week.

Longo took the squirrel in, kept him as a pet and created a social media account for Peanut.

His Instagram account, peanut_the_squirrel12, currently has over 600,000 followers and features several photos of Peanut. Some include the squirrel holding a waffle and wearing a cowboy hat.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation reportedly euthanized the squirrel on Wednesday after receiving complaints that wildlife was being kept “illegally and potentially unsafely,” according to an AP report Saturday.

With the incident taking place less than a week before the US presidential election, social media users and Peanut supporters were quick to express their anger at the state and link the incident to the policies of the current US administration.

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of REUTERS/GONZALO FUENTES/FILE PHOTO)

Trump ‘will save the squirrels’

The billionaire owner of X/Twitter, Elon Musk, who has openly expressed his support for Republican candidate Donald Trump, took will save squirrels.”

Many verified and influential figures agreed with Musk’s post, including American and British social media personality Andrew Tate.

“Breaking down your door because you don’t have a squirrel permit and killing your pet. Who benefits? Who benefits? Who ‘saved’ the police?”

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“And you wondered, why didn’t people stand up and do something? NOW is your chance! You live in it! DO SOMETHING! VOTE!” Tate wrote.

Musk posted additional messages on his X platform, including edited images of Peanut.

“The government should not be allowed to enter your home and kill your pet! That’s a mess,” said a report from Sunday X.

In addition to Peanut the squirrel, Longo’s pet Raccoon Fred was also reportedly seized and put down.

In an Instagram post, Longo described Peanut as his “best friend” and wrote that he was shocked to discover the squirrel was “taken” to be euthanized.

After the incident, Longo created a fundraiser for people “who would like to donate in Peanut’s name”, where money would be sent to Longo’s animal shelter called P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.