New York’s controversial killings of Peanut the Squirrel and his pal Fred the Racoon have drawn a near apology for the incident that drew online anger at Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and criticism from Elon Musk.

“We have carefully reviewed all the public feedback and we understand the distress caused to communities throughout the state. We know that we can do better moving forward,” said Department of Environmental Conservation acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton.