Squirrel's peanut legacy continues all the way to the nation's highest court.
Justice Neil Gorsuch gave encouragement to the furry social media star who was captured and euthanized by New York state authorities in his keynote address at the Federalist Society's annual dinner on Thursday.
A Supreme Court justice cited a now-defunct domestic squirrel as an example of government overreach in Americans' daily lives. According to The Hill.
“I've seen too many cases like that. Some of you may have seen it in the paper just the other day, if the newspapers are to be believed,” Gorsuch told the Washington Post, an influential conservative organization. told an audience at a DC dinner.
“Yes, I'm talking about Punat the squirrel,” he said to laughter and applause, the outlet reported.
Internet fame Peanut and his adopted raccoon Fred were plucked from their upstate New York home by state officials on October 30, euthanized for rabies testing, and decapitated. , neither were infected.
The animals' untimely deaths devastated Mark and Danelia Longo, the human caretakers who owned Punat for seven years, and outraged the public.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation received four anonymous complaints alleging that Longo kept wild animals in his home without permission and initiated a scheme that ultimately led to their culling.
DEC contacted Chemung County officials, and the health department determined the squirrel and raccoon needed to be tested for rabies. Rabies testing is performed on brain tissue and requires euthanasia and decapitation of the animal.
Internal communications and timelines reviewed by the Post show that Peanut and Fred's fate was decided from the beginning, with the DEC saying a rabies test was ordered after Peanut bit a wildlife warden's thumb. contradicts the claim.
Punat's story gained national attention as outraged animal lovers called it government overreach and bashed state institutions.
Gorsuch also joked in his speech that Punat's parents have side jobs on the adult site OnlyFans.
He said the story of the deceased squirrel “maybe has a sordid side,” according to The Hill newspaper.
“[It] It may include a website called “Fans Only'','' Gorsuch said, discarding the website name.
“We do not know the details. We are not aware of any allegations that Punat was involved in these acts.”
