Supporters of former President Donald Trump have expressed outrage over what they see as excessive government intervention following the euthanization of Peanut the Squirrel. New York state authorities raided the home of Peanut’s owner, seized the squirrel, and subsequently euthanized it, sparking backlash.
“Government overreach in action,” commented Elon Musk on X, sharing his reaction.
A pro-Trump meme account, Mostly Peaceful Memes, echoed the sentiment, posting a clip from the movie John Wick captioned, “The Internet after hearing what they did to Peanut the Squirrel,” underscoring the intensity of the reaction.
Some supporters took their expressions further, creating AI-generated images of Peanut the Squirrel alongside Trump, while others circulated a fabricated statement, supposedly from Trump, addressing Peanut’s fate.
The events took place on Wednesday, when officers from New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized Peanut, a squirrel with over a million TikTok followers, along with a raccoon named Fred, from the home of Mark Longo. The raid followed anonymous complaints, according to authorities.
Longo shared the devastating news on Instagram, writing on Friday:
“It is with profound sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news: on October 30th, the DEC made the devastating decision to euthanize our beloved Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon. Despite our passionate outcry for compassion, the agency chose to ignore our pleas, leaving us in deep shock and grief.”
In a joint statement, the DEC and Chemung County Department of Health confirmed the animals’ deaths, explaining their reasoning to CBS News:
“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 animals are being tested for rabies and anyone who has been in contact with these animals is strongly encouraged to consult their physician.”
According to the Associated Press, Longo rescued Peanut seven years ago after seeing its mother fatally struck by a car in New York City. He was reportedly working on paperwork to officially designate Peanut as an educational animal when the seizure occurred.
Speaking with TMZ, Longo described Peanut as the “cornerstone” of the nonprofit animal rescue organization he and his wife, Daniela, operate, known as P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.
Longo said he had no idea who lodged the complaint or what motivated it.
“Ten to 12 DEC officers raided my house as if I was a drug dealer. I was sat outside my house for five hours. I had to get a police escort to my bathroom,” he said, recounting the events of the raid.
“They didn’t even let me feed my rescue horses breakfast or lunch. I was [sat] there like a criminal after they interrogated my wife to check out her immigration status, then proceeded to ask me if I had cameras in my house, then proceeded to go through every cabinet, nook, and cranny of my house for a squirrel and raccoon,” he explained.
“Four departments, and a judge signed off on a search warrant for a squirrel and a raccoon. And then they took them and killed them,” he continued. “He’s helped people, he’s helped kids gather joy. … He was the cornerstone of our life and our organization.”
{Matzav.com}
Stupid government overreach. Is this why we have government? Crime and drugs are everywhere and they’re busy – 12 officers – with this stupidity! They ought be voted out on Tuesday. This is governmental amuck! This is governmental abuse of it citizens.
Racoons are nasty, rabid animals. Same with squirrels. Never try to cozy up to them unless you like your stomach pierced with rabies shots. These animals were a public menace. Period. And I’m a Trump supporter.
Sagacious
A human has never been known to get rabies from a squirrel. On a 350 acre lot, how were they a public menace?
It is very rare for squirrels to have rabies, and so far there is no reported case of a squirrel ever having transmitted rabies in the U.S. That can be found on government web sites ranging from dc.gov to lacounty.gov. BUT in any case, these animals that were taken have been domesticated for seven years living in enclosed controlled environment by experienced personnel.
Today it’s squirrels the govt is after, tomorrow it’s your kids. Suddenly a squirrel has become illegal to keep in your home, but 18,000,000 illegal aliens is allowed.
It’s obvious what happened here. NYC has overrun its illegal immigrant support budget and is now seeking free sources of food to feed them. Republicans publicly discuss this and Dems rip them but in private encourage such eating habits.
Where is PETA????
Hibernating until Kaporos time.
But allow in millions of dreaming illegals. That makes sense