Trump’s Running Mate Highlights Euthanasia of Pet Squirrel as Campaign Issue

The situation involving an Instagram-famous pet squirrel, which was euthanised by New York wildlife authorities, has emerged as a campaign topic two days before the US presidential election. Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, stated at a rally that the death of Peanut the squirrel raised questions concerning government priorities. The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) reported that it had confiscated the animal because officials had been informed of potentially unsafe domestic housing for the pet. The agency indicated that Peanut was put down after biting an official involved in the seizure. The DEC also euthanised a raccoon named Fred that they had taken from the same premises. While campaigning in Sanford, North Carolina, on Sunday, Vance mentioned that Republican White House nominee Trump was “fired up” about the squirrel’s death. “The same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country, doesn’t want us to have pets,” the Ohio senator conveyed to supporters in North Carolina. “It’s the craziest thing.” Peanut’s owner, Mark Longo, accuses the agency of employing excessive force when they arrived at his home on 30 October. On Sunday, he pledged to pursue legal action in a social media post using the hashtag “Justiceforpeanut”. A GoFundMe campaign he initiated has so far accumulated $140,000 (£108,000). Vance is not the only prominent conservative who views the endearing animal as a symbol of government overreach. New York congressman Nick Langworthy utilized social media over the weekend to express his frustration with the “unannounced raid”. The Republican lawmaker stated that the state’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul had “misguided priorities”. “In New York State, we have sanctuaries for illegal immigrants while innocent pets are killed,” he wrote on social media. New York DEC officials reported visiting Mr Longo’s home on Wednesday after receiving “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets”. Mr Longo declared on his Instagram account that a “special place in hell” awaited the DEC. He had cared for Peanut for seven years, and the pair’s antics amassed more than half a million followers on Instagram. This marks another instance where pets have featured in the immigration debate during the current election season. Earlier this year, Vance and Trump amplified baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town were eating cats. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.