Peanut the squirrel’s ‘euthanasia’ at the hands of NY DEC officials has become a US elections hot topic: Here’s why

Peanut the squirrel’s demise, whenever it would have come, was always sure to evoke a sea of emotions from the internet. After all the ‘parkour expert’ had managed to amass a following north of 600,000 on social media. His shenanigans, in tow with pet parent Mark Longo, kept many entertained. The duo would cook waffles, with Peanut oft seen donning his pint-sized cowboy hat. Internet sensation and beloved critter Peanut the squirrel is no more: The internet rejects euthanasia narrative asserting he was murdered On October 30, following an apparently overwhelming number of claims from the public at large, perplexed about “the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets” — as shared the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to the Associated Press — 6 officers seized Peanut and Fred from the Longo’s Pine City, Pennsylvania border home. A day later, Mark took to Peanut’s Instagram handle to share the news of his critters’ ‘euthanasia’. What’s worse is the post revealing that the media was notified of this decision before word of it reached P’Nuts Freedom Farm, the wildlife shelter run Mark. 7 years is how long Mark and his wife Dani housed and cared for Peanut, a unique association which began when the former reportedly saw the little one’s mother being run over a car. Since then, it’s been all song and dance in the trio’s delightfully chaotic life, as curated for their extended social media family. The reason cited the New York DEC was that the decision to euthanise Peanut and Fred was taken in relation to their rabies testing, their main concern being that the critters were “sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies”. Yet, in his latest post seeking #justiceforpeanut, Mark argues that “no one in the United States has ever gotten rabies from a squirrel”. The wildlife shelter owner went on to make a compelling case that if rabies was the real concern, something projected through the seizure of his critters, the future seemed grim for any and all pet owners — “You know what animal could get rabies? Dogs. So what’s next? THIS IS SERIOUS” read an excerpt from his latest post. Many on the internet have also been arguing about what the difference really was, between having Peanut around and the occasional gesture of feeding squirrels in the park. In terms of action, Mark has launched a Go Fund Me in Peanut’s name which has raised $140,000 and counting. Also in the works is a legal bill, Peanut’s Law: Humane Animal Protection Act, geared at protecting sanctuary animals, as announced New York State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz. Further ahead on the political front, Congressman Nick Langworthy, in an impassioned X post has also gone on to categorise the DEC’s actions as “ridiculously maken priorities”. Amid Mark’s efforts to make Peanut’s demise count for future accountability and change, the grim incident also appears to have somehow spiraled into a major point of discussion in context of the US presidential elections, polling season for which has been proceeding in full swing. While the circumstances of Peanut’s death do not really seem like the most likely topic to gather such political steam, many on the internet are taking it as an apt example of unnecessary and senseless government intervention peaking, a narrative directed against the current Democrat government, with POTUS hopeful Kamala Harris eyeing the Oval Office for the next 4 years. Ardent Donald Trump supporter, Elon Musk, has been front and centre in this regard, voicing his thoughts on the death of the critter, his views reflecting the Republican rationale on the matter — “Government overreach kidnapped an orphan squirrel and executed him”, read an X post of his. Do you agree that Peanut and Fred were wronged?