Elon Musk's tweet about the death of the internet-famous squirrel Peanut has pushed up the price of the meme coin Pnut as well.

The recent news of the euthanasia of the American internet celebrity squirrel Peanut has sparked widespread attention and controversy. Even Tesla founder Elon Musk posted to urge voting for "Vote for PNut"!

Peanut has 740,000 Followers

Peanut is an Instagram-famous squirrel, adopted by its owner Mark Longo seven years ago after its mother was hit by a car in New York City. Longo took Peanut in and created an IG account for the squirrel, attracting the attention of 740,000 followers.

According to a report, on October 30th, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation raided Longo's residence and took away Peanut and another raccoon he had rescued. The agency received complaints about illegally keeping animals in unsafe conditions. Both animals were subsequently euthanized for rabies testing.

Is it Illegal to Keep a Squirrel as a Pet?

In the United States, laws regarding keeping squirrels as pets vary by state. In states like New York, keeping squirrels as pets is illegal because squirrels are considered wild animals that may carry diseases and pose a threat to public safety. These laws aim to protect public health and safety and prevent the illegal capture and keeping of wild animals.

However, this action has sparked criticism, with Tesla founder Elon Musk posting on his platform X:

It should not be allowed for the government to barge into your house and kill your pet! Even if keeping a pet squirrel is illegal, why not simply release it back into the forest?

He also urged everyone to come out and vote "Vote for PNut"!

Meme Coin Pnut Goes Viral

The squirrel-themed meme coin "Pnut" on Solana quickly gained popularity. Data from Dex Screener shows that starting from November 2nd, the meme coin "Pnut" saw a rapid surge in price from around 0.003, peaking at $0.1348, and its market value reached a high of $110 million on November 3rd.

This article is not investment advice, please DYOR.