An orphaned squirrel known to hundreds of thousands as Peanut was euthanized by New York animal control authorities this week, following a raid on the home of Mark Longo. Peanut’s death prompted outrage across social media — particularly among Donald Trump supporters and MAGA enthusiasts, complaining that the Biden-Harris administration is too strict about laws around things such as not having a proper license to house wild animals.
Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Health Department officials took Peanut and a raccoon named Fred from Longo’s home in Pennsylvania, then euthanized the animals to test them for rabies. Officials had received calls that Longo was harboring the animals illegally.
Longo has apparently operated an animal sanctuary called “P’Nut’s Freedom Farm” out of his home, without a license to host wild animals. He adopted Peanut seven years ago, but has not explained why he hasn’t pursued a license.
“It’s not only torn my family apart, but Peanut was the cornerstone of our non-profit animal rescue,” he told TMZ. “And 10 to 12 DEC officers raided my house as if I was a drug dealer. I sat outside my house for five hours. I had to get a police escort to my bathroom. I wasn’t even allowed to feed my rescue horses breakfast or lunch. I sat there like a criminal after they interrogated my wife to check out her immigration status.”
“They got a search warrant. 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,” Longo added.
Reactions to the news were swift. Former music video director Robby Starbuck wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Reminder: Kamala’s party executed a cute pet squirrel named Peanut this week because they’re lunatics. Vote Trump to avenge Peanut! Serious note: If Trump works Peanut into his speech with a RIP graphic behind him, this race is officially over. We want justice for Peanut!”
Elon Musk joined in, sharing an AI-generated image of a squirrel wearing a Jedi robe and holding a lightsaber. He wrote, “‘If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine’ Obi PNut Kenobi.”
Another account shared a meme that indicated the U.S. government is more concerned with killing “pet squirrels” than it is about immigration in the United States. Musk commented, “Misplaced priorities.”
In a statement to CBS News, DEC commented, “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.”
Here are some of the other memes posted by conservative fans of Peanut:
