Users on social media have expressed their outrage after American animal owner Mark Longo allegedly had his pet squirrel Peanut forcefully euthanized by the New York state last week.
Longo took in the squirrel, kept it as a pet, and created a social media account for Peanut.
His Instagram account, peanut_the_squirrel12, currently has over 600 thousand followers and features various pictures of Peanut. Some include the squirrel holding a waffle and wearing a cowboy hat.
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The state Department of Environmental Conservation allegedly euthanized the squirrel on Wednesday after receiving complaints that wildlife was being "kept illegally and potentially unsafely," according to a Saturday AP report.
With the incident occurring less than a week ahead of the US presidential election, social media users and supporters of Peanut were quick to express their anger at the state and to connect the incident to the current US administration's policies.
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 to X to express condolences for Peanut while also noting Trump, if elected, "will save the squirrels."
President @realDonaldTrump will save the squirrels ️ RIP P’Nut pic.twitter.com/yoIBV0Okpd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2024
Many verified and influential figures agreed with Musk's post, including American and British social media personality Andrew Tate.
"Busting down your door because you don't have a squirrel license and murdering your pet. Who gains? Who benefits? Who did the police "save"?."
"And you wondered - Why didnt people stand up and do something? NOW is your chance! You are LIVING IN IT! DO SOMETHING! VOTE!" Tate wrote.
This is peak government.Busting down your door because you dont have a squirrel licence and murdering your pet. Who gains? Who benefits? Who did the police "save"? Only death and sadness and wasted money.ZERO net benefit.They already steal children unless you let them…
— Andrew Tate (@Cobratate) November 2, 2024
Musk made additional posts on his X platform, which included edited images of Peanut.
"The government should not be allowed to barge into your house and kill your pet! That’s messed up," a Sunday X post read.
In addition to Peanut the squirrel, Longo's pet Raccoon Fred was also reportedly confiscated and put down.
Jews are now MURDERING our pets. RIP #Peanut the squirrel. pic.twitter.com/UPtsqh5fQ2
— Stew Peters (@realstewpeters) November 2, 2024
In an Instagram post, Longo described Peanut as his "best friend" and wrote that he was shocked to find out that the squirrel was "taken" to be euthanized.
Following the incident, Longo created a fundraiser for people "who want to donate in Peanut's name," in which funds would be sent toward Longo's animal sanctuary named P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.