High-profile conservatives and Donald Trump supporters—including Elon Musk—have galvanized around the death of an internet-famous squirrel following New York state authorities’ decision to euthanize the animal, using the incident as an argument for government overreach one day before the U.S. presidential election.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday seized and euthanized Peanut the squirrel from the home of content creator Mark Longo, who lives and operates an animal sanctuary in Pine City, N.Y. Longo runs a Peanut the squirrel Instagram account with over 695,000 followers, which featured the animal performing tricks.
