Martyrdom of the Squirrel

[Anna]

Once upon a time, there lived a squirrel called Peanut. Its mother was hit by a car and Peanut was left alone to die in the wild. But one good man felt sorry for the squirrel and took Peanut to his home. He fed the squirrel and let it become the star of the internet.

For seven years Peanut lived happily with its master, making him famous online. Its performance on Instagram amassed thousands of followers, which was far more than what bitter lonely ladies could hope for. The bitter lonely ladies felt jealous and complained to the authorities that Peanut probably had rabies and this was the reason why it was so cute.

The authorities confiscated the squirrel and put it to death to be tested for rabies. Its heartbroken owner now collects the funds for the legal battle to avenge the death of his beloved pet.

Peanut's death caused public outcry. Even Trump himself and his supporters condemned it, putting the blame on... democrats.

Instagram-famous squirrel euthanized after it was taken from owner's New York state home


Now seriously, while killing innocent animals makes me sad, I can't help feeling that the animal was used instrumentally by its owner to make money. And what are your thoughts about this story?

Do you think that the restrictions on keeping small wild animals at home as pets are too much of the government's intrusion into the citizens' lives?

[Sirius]

This would always have gotten a strong reaction and rightfully so.

On the larger topic, there is some real horror stores of people living with animals.  Policing unfortunately is needed, but so is having a heart and common sense.

[FlyersFan]

while killing innocent animals makes me sad, I can't help feeling that the animal was used instrumentally by its owner to make money.]\

Disagree.
The man is heartbroken.   And ticked off.
I'd be trying to get $$ to hire lawyers to sue the officials as well.
This story disgusts me.  
An example of big government with no common sense.
I hope this man grinds the people responsible into the dirt beneath his feet.

Growing up I had neighbors who had a pet squirrel.
Like PNut, this squirrel was rescued when young.
It was very attached to the family.
When they had the squirrel for a few years, they went on vacation.
They had the neighbor come in to feed the squirrel.
The squirrel died while the family was gone ... 
We all believe it died of a broken heart, it didn't understand they were coming back.

[Anna]

This story disgusts me.  
An example of big government with no common sense.

This story disgusts me as well. The animal shouldn't be killed. It's not the animal's fault that the owner didn't try to get a license.

But the thing is that if the squirrel wasn't shown around on Instagram, the heartless government officials probably wouldn't know about its existence.

In my country, there are restrictions on keeping wild animals too. In the past, in order to keep a lion or a tiger at home, it was enough to register a fictional circus. Now the procedures are much more strict. There's some bureaucracy to go through too if you want to keep small animals. If the permission isn't obtained, an animal can be confiscated. I didn't hear about the cases of euthanasia though.

However, the authorities must somehow learn that you keep a wild animal at home. While it would be difficult to hide a tiger or an elephant, a squirrel could be kept at home without anyone knowing. The question is whether it would be happy while locked at home. I don't think it needs internet popularity though.