Elon Musk and Joe Rogan sharply critique Peanut the squirrel's death
Elon Musk and Joe Rogan can be added to the list of people upset about Peanut the squirrel's death.
On Monday, November 4, Musk, 53, appeared as a guest on Rogan's hit podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience , discussing the woodland creature's death. Last week, New York state officials seized and euthanized Peanut from owner Mark Longo's home in Pine City, New York, as well as his pet raccoon named Fred.
The SpaceX founder questioned how America is considered a free country if the government can come and steal your pets. "How can it be that we live in America, supposedly the land of the free, and the government can barge into your home with guns, so if you resist, you're gonna get shot, and then take your pets and execute them?" Musk remarked.
Rogan, 57, discussed the loving bond between Peanut and Longo, 34, who had him as a pet for seven years. The duo even amassed a social media following on TikTok and Instagram , where Longo would post adorable videos of the sweet creature. Longo started caring for Peanut after he saw the squirrel's mother get hit by a car in New York City. He rehabilitated Peanut and released him into the wild, but after a severe attack, Longo had to take Peanut in again, and he became an indoor squirrel.
"Why would you kill that cute little squirrel that was obviously a pet and trained from the time it was a baby?" Rogan questioned. "If you see the interaction that guy has with that squirrel, it was wonderful. It was really cute."
Peanut reportedly bit an investigator during the raid and was euthanized to test for rabies. The billionaire explained that Peanut was "doing no harm," and then "the government comes in, barges into the guy's house, takes his pets, and kills them."
Musk stated that the squirrel's death should encourage people to vote, saying, "This should really get people out there mobilized."
The Canadian entrepreneur went on to say that American tax dollars should not be used for killing pets. "They're allowing violent criminals to go free, but they're spending your tax dollars to come in and execute your f**king pets ... We've got to fight back against this."
Musk made one final plea to the public. "I hope people just go out there and vote for Peanut, man," he quipped. "If nothing else, just vote for Peanut."
