Anchors at a flagship news station in New York reacted negatively to the Peanut squirrel saga.

Gus Rosendale and Pat Battle, both co-hosts of NBC 4 New York's “Weekend Today in New York,” appeared to express disdain for state officials' decision to euthanize the pet.

Rosendale also appeared to make a snide comment about Albany's skewed priorities ahead of election week, when he flippantly said, “Okay – that's what Albany is focused on,” while giving an incredulous grin and lowering his expression.

Peanut, who had become a social media sensation, was killed on Wednesday after a raid on owner Mark Longo's home. A raccoon was also confiscated and euthanized.

The pet squirrel has since become a bizarre campaign issue for conservatives, with the Trump campaign criticizing New York's Democratic administration for “executing” Peanut – but failing to address the refugee crisis.

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During Wednesday's raid, Peanut bit an investigator – an act that authorities used to justify euthanizing him to “test him for rabies.”

The decision was made in lieu of a less permanent quarantine, in which officials would have only observed the animal for signs of rabies. Instead, they killed not only him, but also Longo's raccoons – which sparked a reaction, particularly in Rosendale.

“You may have heard that this little guy made headlines this week,” Rosendale initially said – before revealing how he and Battle had received on-air confirmation from the state government that the pet had been euthanized.

“Authorities seized Peanut from a home in Pine City, New York – a small town south of Elmira – apparently there were several complaints,” Rosendale continued.

“Peanut's owner says the squirrel's mother was hit by a car and he has been caring for the animal since then.”

“The owner runs an animal shelter and says he knows it is illegal to keep a wild animal without a license and has been working to get Peanut certified as a “teaching animal.”

“A raccoon capture during the same raid was also reported,” he continued, both he and Battle visibly somber.

“The Environment Ministry said this was all done to ‘test for rabies’.”

At that point, the anchor, who has overseen his station's newsroom for more than a decade, couldn't help but go off script.

“All right – that’s what Albany is focused on,” he said.

The segment ended there, but the outrage surrounding the internet-famous squirrel – at the center of which is the New York state government – continues to simmer.

“What kind of person do these agencies employ?” One observer wrote Saturday about the at least six state Department of Environmental Protection officials responsible for the squirrel’s death.

“Who has what it takes to murder a damn squirrel?”

Responding to this was none other than Elon Musk, who bluntly assessed the recent sequence of events.

“The government is a mindless and heartless killing machine,” he said – which was followed by a series of memes.

Even Musk got involved, sharing an AI-generated image of a squirrel with a Star Wars lightsaber and an accompanying peanut-related pun.

“President Trump will save the squirrels,” Musk wrote in another tweet that served as both a tribute and a clear endorsement. “RIP P’Nut.”

In another creation mocking the Keanu Reeves-led John Wick, an AI-generated image revealed that on

So an accompanying headline read: “The Internet after hearing what they did to Peanut the squirrel.”

Others called for someone to take revenge on behalf of the squirrel, which had more than half a million followers on social media – and had touched the hearts of many others.

At the center of the outrage was the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which took the animals away last Wednesday after receiving complaints. The state requires people to obtain a license if they want to own a wild animal.

As Rosendale mentioned, Longo said he was working to obtain Peanut certification, but the animal's life was snuffed out before he got the chance. Rabies tests on animals are always fatal.

Longo posted on Sunday to further remember his old breakfast partner, who had a thing for waffles.

“Breakfast will never be the same without you,” he wrote after issuing a statement earlier this week describing how “heartbroken” he was.

“I love you, Mouse,” he added as the heartbreak continued.