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.

After P’Nut and a raccoon named Fred were taken by wildlife agents and euthanized, Donald Trump and local candidates accused New York Democrats of “state overreach.”

The incident was quickly embraced by the Trump campaign and Republicans as a symbol of dangerous consequences of government overreach. “RIP Peanut,” the Trump campaign’s official TikTok account said in a Sunday post that has amassed about nine million views,