An orphaned squirrel who became a social media star named Peanut was euthanized after state authorities confiscated the beloved pet during a raid on his caretaker’s home.
Multiple anonymous complaints about Peanut – also spelled P’Nut or PNUT – led at least six state Department of Environmental Conservation agents to Mark Longo’s home near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City on Wednesday, Longo said .
DEC officials took the squirrel and a raccoon named Fred from Longo’s home after they carried out a search warrant signed by four state agencies, all ignoring pleas for leniency.
‘The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!’ Longo, 34, said. “They treated me like I was a drug dealer and they were looking for drugs and weapons.”
Mark Longo shows off his pet squirrel Peanut, which was seized by state Department of Environmental Conservation agents, at Longo’s home in rural Pine City, New York.
‘For the past 7 years, Peanut has been my best friend. “He has been the center of my world and many of his for so long that I don’t know how to process this emotionally,” Mark wrote online.
The couple looked devastated as they posted a video of themselves explaining what happened.
Longo runs an animal sanctuary with his wife, but it doesn’t seem to have made any difference.
Longo wrote a sad message to his followers on Friday: “Well, internet, you won,” he posted.
‘For the past 7 years, Peanut has been my best friend. He has been the center of my world and many of yours for so long that I don’t know how to process this emotionally.
‘You took one of the most amazing animals from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC: there is a special place in hell for you.
A DEC spokesperson said earlier in the week how the agency launched an investigation after receiving “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could transmit rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”
Peanut the squirrel had more than 540,000 online followers and seems to spread joy
Peanut was eating a waffle with crocheted bunny ears in one of his popular photos.
The squirrel could perform tricks like jumping through hoops
Mark explained how he tried to return the animal to the wild, but it just came back.
The small rodent seemed to be an integral part of family life in the rural New York state home.
On Friday, the DEC and the Chemung County Health Department confirmed the fate of both animals.
‘On October 30, DEC confiscated a raccoon and a squirrel that shared residence with humans, creating the possibility of human exposure to rabies. Additionally, a person involved in the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. For rabies testing, both animals were euthanized,” the agencies said in a statement.
“The animals are being tested for rabies and anyone who has been in contact with them is strongly advised to consult their doctor.”
Peanut had more than half a million followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms in the seven years since Longo took him in after seeing his mother get hit by a car in New York City.
Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before attempting to release the squirrel outdoors.
The love that Mark and his wife Daniela had for the animal is evident
Peanut would jump on Longo’s shoulder and delight thousands by doing so
Peanut the squirrel and his owners, Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, are seen in Peanut’s Instagram videos and stills.
“A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch with half his tail missing and the bone sticking out,” Longo said.
He quickly determined that Peanut lacked the survival skills to live in the wild and would remain an indoor squirrel.
Soon after Longo posted videos of Peanut playing with his cat, Internet fame hit.
A scroll through Peanut’s Instagram account confirms that he was no ordinary squirrel.
Peanut would jump on Longo’s shoulder, wear a miniature cowboy hat, and eat a waffle with crocheted bunny ears.
Over the years, Peanut’s story has appeared on television and newspapers, including USA today.
Longo, who works as a mechanical engineer, lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, until he decided to move to upstate New York last year to start an animal sanctuary.
A scroll through Peanut’s Instagram account confirms that it was not just any squirrel
The cute squirrel has appeared in more than 1,400 posts over the past seven years.
Fred the raccoon was also euthanized by New York state officials on Friday.
The P’Nuts Freedom farm animal sanctuary opened in April 2023 and is now home to about 300 animals, including horses, goats and alpacas, said Longo, who runs the sanctuary with his wife, Daniela, and other members of the family. family.
He knew that possessing a wild animal without a license was against New York State law and stated that he was in the process of submitting paperwork to get Peanut certified as an educational animal.
‘If we don’t follow the rules, guide us in the right direction to follow the rules, you know?’ Longo said. “Let us know what we need to do to keep Peanut in the house and not have to worry about him being taken away.”
As for Fred, Longo said he only had the raccoon for a few months and hoped to rehabilitate the injured creature and return it to the forest.
‘It is with deep sadness that we share the heartbreaking news: on October 30, the DEC made the devastating decision to euthanize our beloved squirrel Peanut and the raccoon Fred. “Despite our passionate cry for compassion, the agency chose to ignore our pleas, leaving us in deep shock and pain,” read an Instagram post on Friday, accompanied by a video montage of the animals interacting with their smiling caretakers.
