Americans shocked by euthanasia of the pet squirrel

A pet squirrel was euthanized due to rabies risk

A true social media star in the US, a pet squirrel named Peanut has been euthanized by the New York State Department of Health to prevent the rabies virus transmission.

The State Department of Environmental Protection announced that Peanut the squirrel was euthanized after being collected for rabies testing. The department said in a statement that the squirrel had bitten a person involved in its seizure investigation^[1].

The squirrel was seized from Pine City, New York. According to the Department, the seizure was made as a result of "numerous public reports of the potentially unsafe keeping of wild animals capable of transmitting rabies and the unlawful keeping of wild animals as pets".

The squirrel's owner, Mark Long, kept it at home and posted various videos of its life on social networks. He also kept a raccoon named Fred in his home. Fred was also fixed.

However, although Peanut has been put to sleep, the rabies test results have not yet been published. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rabies test results are usually available within 24-72 hours after an animal is euthanized.

For its part, the story has caused quite a stir on social networks. The public was outraged by the work of the authorities and the debate soon turned political, given the current US backdrop of the presidential elections.

The animal could have avoided euthanasia and been quarantined

Squirrels can carry rabies and can also transmit the virus to humans, although such incidents are extremely rare. According to Critter Control, the US Wildlife Disposal Service, rabies is contracted through direct contact, bites, scratches, or contact with saliva.

The most common symptoms that indicate a squirrel is infected with rabies are rapid circling, falling to the ground, profuse salivation, aggression, convulsions and muscle spasms.

According to the CDC, animals showing signs of rabies must be euthanized, as this is the only way the sample can be sent to a laboratory for testing. The rabies test requires tissue from the brainstem and cerebellum, so the animal must be dead^[2].

Although the CDC advises euthanizing the animal, stray dogs, cats, and ferrets can be monitored for 10 days in quarantine if rabies is suspected. It is then possible that if the suspected rabies is not confirmed, the animal will be rehomed. However, when it comes to other animals, the situation depends on the species, the circumstances of the bite (whether there was a bite), the epidemiology of rabies in the area, the animal's medical history, etc. However, in the case of the Peanut squirrel, many of these circumstances remain unclear.

On the other hand, the New York City Department of Environmental Conservation states that it is illegal to keep baby or adult wild animals in the home as pets.

It states that "inadequate care of wild animal pups often leads to abnormal attachment to humans" and that "once released, they return to human habitation only to be attacked by pets or hit by cars, and some become nuisance animals, breaking into food stores, garbage cans, or homes".

If a person finds an injured or orphaned baby wild animal, the department recommends contacting wildlife rescue centres, which, once the animal has recovered, release them back into the wild.

Squirrel owner angry with government behaviour

Peanut the squirrel, who was taken in by the American M. Longo 7 years ago, has been very popular on social networks, with many videos and photos of the animal being posted there. Long took the squirrel in 2017, when the mother of a baby squirrel was hit by a car.

Since then, he has been posting about the adventures of little rodents on Instagram and TikTok. The accounts have attracted 681,000 and 216,000 followers, respectively, and the videos sometimes exceed 3 million views. Long kept the squirrel together with a raccoon named Fred, which was also confiscated.

"It still seems surreal that the country I live in would target me and take away my two most beloved animals without even quarantining them. They took them from my home and just killed them", said the owner.

He called the New York authorities' decision "a disgrace".

"What happened today and what has been happening all this week is nothing short of a tragedy and a disgrace to the State of New York. We used the resources of this state to kill a squirrel and a raccoon and raid my home as if I were a drug dealer. We have the resources to kill a raccoon and a squirrel, but we cannot fix the main bridges in the street. I am appalled," said Mr Long.

In response to Peanut and Fred's story, a GoFundMe campaign has been set up in the public space. Initially, GoFundMe was designed to help pet fans fund legal costs for their owner. Later, the fundraising goal changed to honor Peanut by funding P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping abandoned animals. "The GoFundMe account has raised USD 162 955 so far.

Squirrel's death has even sparked a political debate

And now that the US is fully immersed in the political debate against the backdrop of the presidential elections, it did not take long for even this situation involving the euthanasia of a squirrel to become part of the political rhetoric. This has become particularly noticeable among Republicans. 

"This is disgusting. The government should not have the right to invade your home and kill your pet," said Elon Musk, who has been a fervent supporter of the Republican candidate Donald Trump since the beginning of the presidential campaign, in an indignant voice.

Despite the outrage on the Republican side, Trump did not react to the story, but his son Donald Trump Jr. did speak out, linking the situation to the migration problem plaguing the US.

"It's time to get rid of a government that willingly allows 600,000 criminals, including 13,000 murderers and 16,000 rapists, to enter our country," he wrote on X, adding that Peanut's murder would be a catalyst for real change.