Elon Musk expressed outrage on his social media platform X Saturday over news that rescue pet and internet sensation Peanut the Squirrel was seized from his owner’s home and euthanized by state officials in New York.

The SpaceX and Tesla founder fired off a barrage of posts expressing his disdain for officials with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation taking the Instagram-famous Peanut, along with another rescue animal, away from owner Mark Longo’s home and animal sanctuary near the Pennsylvania border. The state then inexplicable euthanized the docile and trained animals so they could be “tested for rabies.”

“Government overreach kidnapped an orphan squirrel and executed him,” reads one post on X from Mr. Musk. “The government should leave people and their animals alone,” he wrote in another post.

The Tech Billionaire spent most of the day weighing in on the controversy, even making comparisons to the plot of the “John Wick” movie franchise.

“John Wick just wanted peace, but then [they] killed his innocent, beloved dog,” he wrote on the social media platform.

The death of little Peanut also energized President Trump’s supporters who flooded X with numerous AI-generated memes of the furry critter wearing MAGA hats, aiming AR-15 rifles, and even perched atop Trump’s shoulder.

“Reminder: Kamala’s party executed a cute pet squirrel named Peanut this week because they’re lunatics. Vote Trump to avenge Peanut!” Conservative documentarian Robby Starbuck posted on X, along with one of the AI images circulating on the internet. “Serious note: If Trump works Peanut into his speech with a RIP graphic behind him, this race is officially over. We want justice for Peanut!”

Many took to social media to argue a lack of oversight and unchecked power wielded by the government in a blue state like New York.

“Peanut did nothing but bring joy to his owners and millions of fans on social media,” venture capitalist David Sacks wrote in a post on X. “The fact that an entire bureaucracy of people thought it was their jobs to seize and execute him is classic ‘banality of evil.’ Government’s powers must always be narrow and circumscribed.”

Former presidential candidate and Trump campaign adviser Robert F. Kennedy Jr. weighed in with a tongue-in-cheek post about the animal-related controversies he’s faced this year.

“Are these the same guys that killed my whale and my bear? And, what happened to the head? Just asking for a friend,” Mr. Kennedy said on X.

Peanut was adopted by Mark Longo of Pine City, New York back in 2017. He said he started to care for the animal after its mother was hit by a car at New York City. Mr. Longo then launched an animal sanctuary in Peanut’s name and began posting videos of the lovable critter sporting tiny hats, doing tricks, and nibbling waffles between his little paws. 

Peanut soon went viral, amassing nearly 600,000 followers on Instagram alone, as well as TikTok and other platforms.

The state DEC took the animals Wednesday from Longo’s home and animal sanctuary, claiming they received complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally and potentially unsafely.

“The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!” Mr. Longo said to The Associated Press. 

“I was treated as if I was a drug dealer, and they were going for drugs and guns.”

State law requires people to get a license to own a wild animal. Longo has said he was working to get Peanut — also known as P’Nut or PNUT — certified as an educational animal.

The DEC and the Chemung County Health Department said Friday that the squirrel and Fred the Raccoon were euthanized so they could be tested for rabies after Peanut purportedly bit someone involved in the investigation.

Mr. Longo has vowed to take action against the state.

“We will make a stance on how this government and New York state utilizes their resources,” he said to the news agency in a phone interview.

The incident has led many to call out New York Governor Kathy Hochul for the state-run DEC’s handling of the matter, including Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy, who represents the same district where Mr. Longo resides.

“I join many of my constituents and people around the country who have contacted my office today, angry and demanding answers from Governor Kathy Hochul’s Department of Environmental Conservation,” He said on X, referring to the incident.

“This action comes today as reports have emerged of an illegal immigrant raping a 5-year-old on Long Island. This demonstrates the Hochul Administration’s deranged level of misguided priorities. In New York State, we have sanctuaries for illegal immigrants while innocent pets are killed. I demand answers and will push until the administration comes clean.”