By Christine Favocci November 14, 2024 at 4:54pm
From Instagram stardom to liberty martyrdom, P’nut the squirrel is on track to become the most consequential rodent in America.
The beloved bushy-tailed beast burrowed into the hearts of freedom-loving Americans after Department of Environmental Conservation officials seized and later euthanized the squirrel on Oct. 30.
He and a raccoon named Fred were taken from owner Mark Longo, who runs the P’Nuts Freedom Farm animal sanctuary with his wife Daniela, after a raid on their Pine City, New York, home.
Initially, the story was that P’nut bit one of the officials, which forced the agency to euthanize both animals to test their brains for rabies.
The New York Post later reported that the agency has since stated that P’nut and Fred were marked for death before the raid, a fact which has only added fuel to the fire.
Now, Longo has promised to avenge their untimely demise with a “very big” lawsuit against the bloated bureaucracy that made it happen.
Speaking to NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday, Longo shared that he’s heard nothing but “radio silence” from the DEC about the situation, which has forced him to take legal action.
“We’re gonna get answers, and we’re going to demand them,” Longo promised.
“Not only did you violate my Constitutional rights, but you need to come up with an explanation as to why you murdered these animals,” Longo added.
Should New York State have to pay P’Nut’s owner?
Almost immediately after news broke about the death of Longo’s animals, it became a rallying cry for freedom on social media and beyond.
Then, shortly before Election Day, SpaceX mogul Elon Musk promised that the GOP presidential candidate would take up the cause, suggesting it had also become an important political issue.
“President @realDonaldTrump will save the squirrels. RIP P’Nut,” Musk wrote in a post to X on Nov. 2.
President @realDonaldTrump will save the squirrels 🐿️ 😢
RIP P’Nut pic.twitter.com/yoIBV0Okpd
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2024
Even if Musk’s post was tongue-in-cheek, it’s clear that the saga of P’nut and Fred resonates with Americans — not only because two well-cared-for animals were euthanized but because a tyrannical government did it without due process.
Perhaps keeping woodland creatures as pets and using them for Instagram fame is a little nutty (as is Longo’s “Squirrel Daddy” OnlyFans), but it revealed a reality where there was no due process once the government decided P’nut and Fred should be dead.
The story exemplifies the kind of government overreach that has become disturbingly more common in recent years, especially where Democrats control the machine.
If the DEC can come onto a person’s property to seize their animals and kill them without any recourse, how can any right be guaranteed?
History has shown that a nation will only remain free as long as its people are willing to push back on any encroachment on their liberty, big or small.
If this sad situation reminds Americans of that, P’nut and Fred will not have died in vain.
Christine earned her bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, where she studied communications and Latin. She left her career in the insurance industry to become a freelance writer and stay-at-home mother.
Christine earned her bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, where she studied communications and Latin. She left her career in the insurance industry to become a freelance writer and stay-at-home mother.
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