In a surprising turn of events, it seems that the death of ‘Peanut the Squirrel’ is now becoming the world issue, with Russia commenting on the public outcry over the euthanasia.
In a statement, a top Russian official stated the demise of star squirrel underscores the problems with US foreign policy.
Uproar around Peanut’s death prompts Russia to react
In late October, the New York state environmental conservation department confiscated Peanut, also known as P’Nut, from its owner, Mark Longo, and put it down. As Peanut’s death caused online outcry, it even became a flashpoint in the White House race for a brief period, despite the authorities claiming that the move was taken due to the possibility of human exposure to rabies.
The squirrel, which had garnered a half-million Instagram followers before it died, tested negative for rabies, according to county officials on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. The report, which was entirely opposite from the claims of the US officials, led to more outrage over the euthanasia, even from the Kremlin officials.
Maria Zakharova, head of the press department of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry, wrote on Telegram on Thursday, “It’s somewhat reminiscent of the entire American foreign policy.”
Also Read: Tragic twist in Peanut the Squirrel’s euthanasia as animal tests negative for rabies
Zakharova shares post calling Peanut’s death ‘reminiscent of the story Saddam Hussein’
Zakharova reposted former Telegram founder Pavel Durov’s press secretary George Lobushkin’s post along with a link to an NBC News article regarding Peanut’s test results.
“It’s somewhat reminiscent of the story of Saddam Hussein,” Lobushkin captioned the post.
Lobushkin and Zakharova’s remarks seemed to draw a comparison between the squirrel’s euthanasia and American foreign policy actions, including the 2006 execution of the ousted Iraqi president, which the Russian government at the time denounced as the first step toward further breakdown of the nation.
Many people saw Peanut’s seizure and ultimate euthanasia as a classic example of government overreach.
In a podcast interview on November 4, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Joe Rogan talked about the squirrel and questioned if American authorities had good reason to take away Peanut from his owner, who had owned him as a pet for seven years.
