Pour one out for a real one because Peanut The Squirrel has sadly been euthanized. Known as something of a big deal on the social media scene, the hat-wearing squirrel became a fan-favorite furry friend.
After seeing Peanut’s his mother get killed by a car, Mark Longo rescued him as a baby some seven years ago. When Longo couldn’t find a rescue organization, he decided to raise Peanut himself with the intention of releasing him back into the wild.
When Peanut was injured, Longo decided to keep him, adding him to a menagerie that includes, 18 horses, a miniature horse, three alpacas, four cows, two geese, one parrot, and a pig.
Longo confirmed that Peanut, and an injured raccoon called Fred, were seized from his home in Pine City, in south-central New York. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation and county health department had apparently received reports that Longo was conducting ‘potentially unsafe’ housing of wildlife that could be carrying rabies, as well as the ‘illegal’ keeping of wildlife as pets.
Officials claim Peanut bit one of the investigators, confirming both the squirrel and raccoon were euthanized to test for rabies.
There’s outrage, as according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are no recorded cases of a human contracting rabies from a squirrel. While it’s possible for them to carry the disease, it’s also a rarity.
Among Peanut’s supporters is Elon Musk, who took to X to share an AI depiction of a squirrel as Star Wars‘ Obi-Wan Kenobi. The famed Jedi was killed by Darth Vader in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, with Musk quoting the movie and writing: “If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine’ Obi PNut Kenobi.”
Someone earlier wrote, “What kind of person do these agencies employ? Who has it in them to murder a bloody pet squirrel?” with Musk replying: “The government is a mindless and heartless killing machine.”
The X CEO clearly has a soft spot for Peanut, and responding to video of Longo’s wife playing with Peanut and Fred, Musk referred to their euthanasia as ‘deeply wrong.’
“If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine” Obi PNut Kenobi pic.twitter.com/dD2Xo0fSkr
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2024
Musk wasn’t alone in his musings, with Republican candidate Donald Trump also weighing in. Trump is again running for President in the upcoming election against Kamala Harris, but taking time away from his campaign, he’s reportedly ‘fired-up’ about the Peanut situation.
Speaking at a rally in North Carolina, Trump’s running mate JD Vance discussed Trump’s feelings on the matter and added: “The same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country, doesn’t want us to have pets…It’s the craziest thing.”
There are questions about whether Longo was in the wrong, as it’s not illegal to keep wildlife as pets in many part of the country. Wildlife rehabilitators are also allowed to care for animals in New York, as long as they plan to release them back into the wild. It’s unclear whether Longo is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or had started the process, however, he had established the nonprofit P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.