Elon Musk joined a chorus of public outcry over the euthanasia of Peanut, a social media star squirrel seized by New York authorities, according to News18 reporting.
The squirrel, who gained widespread popularity across social platforms, was taken into custody and euthanized after state officials raided his caretaker's home on Wednesday.
President @realDonaldTrump will save the squirrels 🐿️ 😢
RIP P'Nut pic.twitter.com/yoIBV0Okpd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2024
Mark Longo, who operates an animal sanctuary, had cared for Peanut for seven years after reportedly finding the orphaned squirrel when its mother was struck by a vehicle in New York City. The animal had accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers across Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms.
"President Donald Trump will save the squirrels. RIP P'Nut," Musk wrote on X, sharing an image of Peanut perched on Longo's back. The Tesla CEO also posted an edited image depicting Peanut in Star Wars character garb, writing "If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine – Obi PNut Kenobi."
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Chemung County Department of Health released a joint statement explaining their actions: "On Oct 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized."
The raid, which followed anonymous complaints, resulted in authorities taking both Peanut and a raccoon named Fred from Longo's residence near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City.
The government should not be allowed to barge into your house and kill your pet! That's messed up.
Even if it is illegal to have a pet squirrel (which it shouldn't be), why kill PNut instead of simply releasing him into the forest!? https://t.co/2m9Gi5QpUT
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 3, 2024
A post on Peanut's Instagram account, which boasts over 500,000 followers, expressed grief over the loss: "You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC, there's a special place in hell for you... THANK YOU for breaking apart a family and crushing any hopes of our nonprofit to survive."
Longo and his wife, Daniela, established P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in April 2023, currently home to approximately 300 animals including horses, goats, and alpacas. Longo mentioned he was in the process of securing educational animal certification for Peanut when the seizure occurred.
Musk, a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump, questioned the authorities' actions: "The government should not be allowed to barge into your house and kill your pet! That's messed up. Even if it is illegal to have a pet squirrel (which it shouldn't be), why kill PNut instead of simply releasing him into the forest!?"
The incident sparked widespread criticism on social media platforms, with users demanding "justice for Peanut."
