The controversy over Peanut, the pet squirrel and social media sensation seized by the state Department of Environmental Conservation and euthanized last week, has raised questions about who can and should handle wildlife in New York.

Peanut — also known as P'nut or PNUT — the squirrel is a social media sensation. At the time this article was written, Peanut boasted 795k followers on Instagram and 326k followers on TikTok. He was popular because he's an adorable animal on the internet.

Image via Instagram The death of Peanut the Squirrel occurred at an odd time in America — right before the presidential election. As a result, several conservative figures have latched onto the animal's euthanization as proof of government oversight.