Owner of Instagram-famous squirrel slams PNUT holders, launches new meme coin

In a now-deleted X post, Squirrel Peanuts owner Mark Longo appears to have threatened to sue the owners of PNUT for copyright infringement while launching his own meme coin.

Accusing the PNUT community of profiting from his pet’s story, Peanut the Squirrel owner Mark Longo announced plans to sue the token holders and launched his own coin, JUSTICE, in protest.

Is this the end $PNUT?

The owner of the peanut (@Squirrel_Dad12) launched his own coin $JUSTICE (for Pnut and Fred) as his own project. $PNUT.

Currently, JUSTICE is rising to $13 million, while the original PNUT has been in a steady decline since its peak. pic.twitter.com/ecFJTBISK0

— Ely (@ProofOfEly) 25 November 2024

In a now-deleted follow-up post on X, Longo threatened legal action against PNUT owners. He accused them of profiting from his story after New York State Department of Environmental Conservation agents euthanized his pets, Peanut the squirrel and a raccoon named Fred, following an incident in which Peanut bit a police officer.

YOU MADE MILLIONS USING MY STORY, MY SQUIRREL, AND THE LIKE.
I mean, how would you feel if NO ONE made millions in your nonprofit and offered a BUNCH of the money you made?
You are a dreamer.
THIS IS MY STORY AND YOU ARE USING IT

— Squirrel_Dad (@Squirrel_Dad12) 25 November 2024

Fıstık’s euthanasia caused reactions

In late October, DEC agents seized Peanut and Fred from Longo’s home for violations of state laws prohibiting the possession of wild animals. Despite Longo’s claims that the animals were released into the wild, Peanut continued to appear in social media posts, leading to a raid by authorities on October 30, according to the New York Times.

Tragically, both Peanut and Fred were euthanized on November 1 after a bite from Peanut raised rabies concerns. However, later tests confirmed that neither animal had the disease.

Peanut’s euthanasia, combined with the controversy surrounding DEC’s actions, sparked widespread outcry. The incident gained further attention when Elon Musk tweeted in support of Peanuts, turning the squirrel into a symbol of freedom and government overintervention.

Squirrel_Dad launches his own meme money

After the euthanasia, the crypto community launched a meme coin called (PNUT), inspired by the squirrel’s internet fame. The token’s price soared following its listing on Binance, sparking widespread interest and speculation, but then began to steadily decline, with critics suggesting this could be another pump-and-dump scheme unique to the meme coin market.

Longo, who has built a loyal following for Peanut, expressed disappointment that the PNUT community used his pet’s inheritance for financial gain without offering him compensation.

In response to the overwhelming success of PNUT, Longo launched his own token called JUSTICE as a way to gain control over his narrative and distance himself from the PNUT community. According to data from DEX Screener, the token quickly gained traction and reached a market cap of $13 million, with its price increasing by more than 50,000% in the 24 hours leading up to press.