‘Heartless’: Elon Musk Slams Biden Administration Over Celebrity Squirrel’s Euthanasia

Last Updated:November 03, 2024, 15:43 IST

Peanut the Squirrel, who became an internet sensation, was seized by New York authorities on Wednesday and euthanised.

Elon Musk has joined thousands of people mourning the euthanasia of Peanut, a squirrel who gained widespread popularity on social media before being seized by New York Authorities, and called the Biden administration a “mindless and heartless killing machine”.

An orphaned squirrel, Peanut amassed tens of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms through his adorable antics and videos during the seven years since Mark Longo, who runs an animal sanctuary, said he took him in after seeing his mother get hit by a car in New York City.

“President Donald Trump will save the squirrels. RIP P’Nut,” the Tesla CEO wrote in a post on X, with an image of Peanut perched upon Longo’s back. He also posted an image of Peanut in Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi’s costume holding a lightsaber.

“If you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine” Obi PNut Kenobi,” Musk captioned the post. While replying to a comment on the post, he wrote, “The government is a mindless and heartless killing machine.”

What Happened To Peanut The Squirrel?

Peanut was euthanised after authorities seized the pet during a raid on his caretaker’s home. After anonymous complaints, officers from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took the squirrel and a raccoon named Fred from Mark Longo’s home near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City on Wednesday.

“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 euthanised,” the DEC and Chemung County Department of Health. said in a statement.

Peanut the Squirrel has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram. “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,” an Instagram post read.

Longo and his wife, Daniela, opened P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in April 2023. It now houses about 300 animals including horses, goats and alpacas, Longo said. He said he was in the process of filing paperwork to get Peanut certified as an educational animal when the squirrel was seized.

Outrage Over Peanut’s Death

Thousands of people on social media platforms criticised the decision to euthanise Peanut and Fred, seeking “justice for Peanut”. Several supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked Kamala Harris over the matter, saying she would not stop such incidents if she came to power in the upcoming elections, with Musk, one of Trump’s fierce supporters, joining the bandwagon.

“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!?” Musk said.

Musk has become one of Trump’s most prominent supporters in his bid to get re-elected. The world’s richest man, Musk has committed more than $119 million to boost Trump and has recently held a number of town halls in support of the former president.

(with agency inputs)

Location :

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)