bonsailittle friends.
Hundreds of loyal fans of rescue squirrel Peanut and raccoon Fred packed into an upstate New York bar on Friday to pay tribute to the euthanized pets who captured the nation.
Local residents gathered at the Ile Eagle Taphouse in Elmira to remember the lives of two small animals culled by the Department of Environmental Protection last week.
Mark Longo, Punat and Fred's former guardian, addressed the large crowd with drinks in hand.
“Raise your glasses for Fred and Peanut,” Longo called out.
“We can't let them die in vain.”
Mourners listened to live music, purchased T-shirts for $20, and drank beers and specialty cocktails such as Fred's Juice (apple cider sangria) and The Peanut (spiked chai latte martini). is.
The T-shirts say “JUSTICE/PEANUT & FRED” and feature cartoons of squirrels and raccoons.
Enthusiasts vary in their demeanor, with some being more solemn and others more party-oriented.
Kyle Evans, 29, showed up wearing a brown squirrel jumpsuit he bought online.
“We came here for the squirrel punat,” he said of himself and two friends who finished off their beers.
“He was unjustly taken away and unjustly euthanized.”
“I think they went too far. They overreached. The squirrel wasn't harming anyone. It was on TikTok. It was famous. It wasn't doing anything to anyone. I was supporting a good cause…I don't see anything good coming from that,” Evans added to the Post.
Martin Perry and his wife Debbie were among those who felt close to Punat's cause.
“Just hearing the whole story of what happened is sickening to say the least,” Perry, 64, told the Post.
“They come here and take his animals and kill them…He has an animal farm sanctuary. It's ridiculous.”
Mr Perry, who bought T-shirts for himself and his wife, felt party politics were contributing to this tragic ordeal.
“That's terrible. I have a lot of Democratic friends, and I call Democratic politicians 'Dumbo guys.' Look what they did to this young man and the squirrel. ”
“It's upsetting,” Perry said, adding, “I'm mad at New York State.”
Debbie Perry, 59, told the Post: “It's disgusting that someone could just take an animal they rescued and kill it.”
P'Nut's owner's parents also attended the service.
Dennis Longo, 57, told the Post: “It's absolutely terrible and someone has to pay for it.”
“All Mark does is try to save animals. P'Nut was the foundation of that.”
Mark Longo Sr. is equally frustrated and wants the system to change.
“I think the way they made decisions was terrible. It was just disgusting. The system needs to change.”
Longo Sr., 59, added: “We want to make sure this never happens again.”
Proceeds from the night will be donated to Longo's animal rescue charity Peanut Freedom Farm in Pine City, New York.
A GoFundMe in honor of P'Nut and Fred has already raised more than $219,000.
Last week, the story of Peanuts and Fred went viral. X and hundreds of thousands of posts on TikTok have gone viral and even been discussed by Elon Musk and podcaster Joe Rogan in the run-up to the presidential election.
