From Euthanasia to Saving America: The Past and Present of Internet Celebrity Squirrel Peanut

Author: Deng Tong, Golden Finance

At around 9:00 AM Beijing time on November 14, the market showed that PNUT (Peanut the Squirrel) briefly broke through $2.5, reporting at $2.4158, continuing to set a new historical high with a 24-hour increase of 422.3%.

This is not the first time PNUT has attracted attention with its surge. Around 8:00 PM on November 13, PNUT briefly broke through $1.5, reporting at $1.515, with a 24-hour increase of 247.41%; on November 11, influenced by Binance's announcement to list Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT), PNUT briefly touched $0.28, with a 1-hour increase of 141.15%.

But the story of the squirrel goes far beyond the ups and downs of a Meme coin; this squirrel is associated with too many labels— the U.S. election, Trump, Musk, euthanasia… More stories need to be told from before the U.S. election.

Past Life—The Internet Celebrity Squirrel Causing Political Incidents During the Election

The story of this little squirrel can be traced back seven years when Mark Longo rescued it after seeing Peanut's mother get hit by a car. Due to its injuries, Longo believed Peanut could not survive in the wild. Therefore, he took care of Peanut until it recovered and became its guardian.

Owner Longo often shared Peanut's daily life on Instagram. Mark not only attracted fans with these videos but also founded an animal rescue organization in Peanut's name to raise funds for animals in need.

However, on October 30, after receiving an anonymous tip, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took Peanut away and detained it. Longo told the media, "They treated me like a terrorist; the whole raid felt like a drug bust. My house was turned upside down, my wife was even questioned about her immigration status, and I was accompanied by police to check behind the toilet when I went to the bathroom."

Mark launched a petition calling for the release of the squirrel he had spent seven years with, attracting a large number of supporters.

Subsequently, on November 2, news broke that Peanut had been euthanized, sparking strong outrage online. Longo stated on social media, "This is a terrible nightmare for me." Community members condemned the DEC's violent enforcement and compared the incident to the 2020 "Black Lives Matter" movement, raising the slogan "Mouse Lives Matter." The DEC director was mocked as "Karen" for her tough stance, and the Democratic government became the focus of public criticism, with countless voters accusing them, "The government has the resources to kill a squirrel but cannot fix the bridges on the streets?"

Musk also joined the mourning activities, posting multiple tweets in support of Peanut.

By this time, the U.S. election was in full swing. On November 4, Musk pinned a tweet on X social platform stating, "For PNut! For freedom, vote." Data showed that Peanut's current market value was $53.97 million.

Since the New York Environmental Protection Agency is under Democratic control, many people condemned the authorities for abusing their power. Trump's campaign team also took the opportunity to speak out multiple times:

Trump stated: If this squirrel had come from Mexico, the government would have arranged a hotel and shopping card for it. The Democratic government's treatment of the little squirrel is a waste of resources. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., stated: Peanut's death should catalyze real change, voting out the current government. On November 3, Vance said at a rally in North Carolina that Trump was "furious" about the squirrel's death and called Peanut's death into question regarding the government's priorities. "The government doesn't care about thousands of illegal immigrant criminals entering our country and doesn't want us to have pets; it's just crazy."

The Democratic Party's antics and Trump's statements clearly ignited public election sentiment, with some citizens even calling on social media to vote for Trump to avenge Peanut.

(The content in the image roughly means: Kamala's party executed a cute pet squirrel named Peanut this week because they are crazy; vote for Trump to avenge Peanut! Serious note: If Trump includes Peanut in his speech and places an RIP graphic behind him, this race is officially over, and we will seek justice for Peanut!)

At this point, Peanut represents a spirit of struggle for freedom and democracy; the fate of this little squirrel has been tied to the U.S. election, becoming another dimension for Trump's team to attack Harris's team.

Present Life—Creating a Fortune with PNUT

The U.S. election has concluded, but the story of this little squirrel continues. In the crypto world, this little squirrel has transformed into the Meme coin PNUT, which has been sought after by people, igniting the most fervent Meme coin trend.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, PNUT has surged wildly in recent days. According to Coingecko data, PNUT reached a recent peak of $2.27 around 9:00 AM today, with a 24-hour trading volume of $5.501 billion.

PUNT is a Meme coin launched on the Solana blockchain, and the story behind it is both tragic and resonant on social media. Coupled with the continuous support from big names like Musk and Trump, crypto whales were the first to sniff out profit opportunities in PUNT:

On November 5, according to Lookonchain monitoring, a whale spent 13,642 SOL ($2.22 million) to purchase Pnut, FRED, and OPK, currently showing a floating loss of $1.44 million. Among them, 7,142 SOL ($116,000) was spent to purchase 14.46 million Pnut, now showing a loss of $553,000 (-48%). On November 6, according to ai_9684xtpa monitoring, as PNut violently rebounded 127% in the past 24 hours, a mysterious whale that had spent 11,600 SOL heavily on Pnut, FRED, and OPK saw its floating loss shrink from $1.48 million to $183,000, nearing break-even. On the same day, a trader created a new wallet and spent 15,132 SOL ($2.8 million) to buy Pnut and FRED within the past 2 hours. They spent 11,582 SOL ($2.14 million) to buy 17.35 million Pnut at a price of $0.12. On November 10, according to Solscan data, an address starting with js5Lja has accumulated about 28.83 million Pnut (worth over $2.4 million) in the past 6 days, becoming the largest holder.

On November 11, news of more whales buying came out, and subsequently, exchanges like Binance and OKX listed PNUT, leading to a gradually crazy market trend for Meme coin PNUT, with daily increases in the triple digits becoming commonplace.

Calculating from the price of $0.128 before the market took off on November 11, by around 9:00 AM today, the highest point of $2.27 means that in just 4 days, PNUT has skyrocketed by 1673%.

So, why has PUNT surged recently?

First, against the backdrop of Trump's victory, the overall crypto market is rising, and the former president's friendly attitude towards cryptocurrencies excites crypto investors. Moreover, Musk, who has always promoted Dogecoin, will serve in the "Department of Government Efficiency" during Trump's administration, and the abbreviation for "Department of Government Efficiency" coincidentally shares the same initials as Dogecoin (DOGE). The leading Meme coin, Dogecoin, has entered a new market cycle, and it is reasonable for PUNT, which has received Musk's support, to surge.

On November 13, Musk directly promoted PUNT: "A squirrel and a Meme coin saved America!" Under the influence of Trump and Musk, PUNT soared.

Secondly, PUNT's recent surge is related to the overall Meme market. In this round of the crypto bull market cycle, Bitcoin and the Meme sector have performed the brightest. According to SoSoValue data, the Meme sector has risen by 11.90% overall. Additionally, the Trump-themed concept sector has shown highlights, with an increase of 189.05%, among which Peanut the Trump (PNUT) performed remarkably, with a 24-hour increase of 324.49% and a trading volume exceeding $6 billion. In terms of overall market trading volume, Meme projects continue to attract significant liquidity. In the past 24 hours, among the top 10 cryptocurrencies in trading volume (excluding stablecoins), there are as many as 6 Meme coins: DOGE, SHIB, PEPE, WIF, BONK, and PNUT.

The influence of Memecoins far exceeds merely attracting crypto enthusiasts—they have become the most powerful gateway for introducing newcomers to crypto. PUNT's repeated new highs once again showcase the unique charm of Meme coins—they deliberately break away from traditional cryptocurrency narratives, embracing community and entertainment-based fundamental values, and expressing the demands of ordinary people in an atmosphere of freedom.

Conclusion

From a happy, internet-famous squirrel to a political figure supported by Musk, Trump, and other influential personalities, and then to creating billions of dollars in Meme coins, this little squirrel's fate may have been destined to be extraordinary from the moment it was rescued seven years ago.

Peanut may be a victim of the U.S. election, but it has inspired people's spirit of resistance and expressed the longing of ordinary people for freedom and love. In the future, PUNT may continue to replace Peanut in the crypto world, and we hope that while people enjoy the joy of wealth, they will occasionally remember this little tree spirit that once graced the human world.