Outrage over the death of Peanut the Squirrel has sparked bomb threats directed at the New York state offices of the agency that euthanized the beloved pet.
The furry social media sensation, along with her raccoon friend Fred, were seized from their owners’ home on October 30 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and euthanized two days later.
Since then, the squirrel’s untimely end has sparked outrage and criticism from prominent MAGA Republicans.
After several DEC offices across the state received bomb threats this week, state employees were offered the option to work from home, the Times Union reported.
Outrage over the death of Peanut the Squirrel has sparked bomb threats directed at the New York state offices of the agency that euthanized the beloved mascot.
The furry social media sensation was confiscated from her owners’ home on October 30 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Offices in Allegany, Bath, Buffalo, Cortland, New Paltz, New York, Sherburne, Stony Brook, Syracuse and Tarrytown received threats, although none were found to be credible, the Times Union reported.
DEC officials had seized Peanut and Fred from the Pine City residence of Mark and Daniela Longo, a couple who run a small animal rescue.
Wildlife authorities reportedly visited the property after receiving anonymous complaints about conditions there.
Peanut was euthanized after biting a person involved in the investigation.
The DEC emailed a statement to staff, saying the agency was working with state police to address the threats, according to the Times Union.
Since then, the beloved squirrel’s untimely end has sparked outrage, bomb threats and criticism from prominent MAGA Republicans.
After several DEC offices received bomb threats this week, state employees were offered the option to work from home.
‘Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our employees. As you know, there have been a number of threats toward DEC and our personnel in recent days and we are taking them very seriously, including coordinating closely with the New York State Police.’
The animals’ owner, Mark Longo, 34, did not have the proper license to legally own the creatures.
Earlier this week, he said he believed officials raided his and his wife’s home because of their Onlyfans account.
“I think there’s an ulterior motive here, and it seems like it has to do with my spicy social media presence, especially since other than taking the animals, they took no action against me,” he told TMZ.
He said when officials first showed up, one of the first questions they asked was if they had cameras inside the house.
Peanut had hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms.
Multiple anonymous complaints about Peanut – also spelled P’Nut or PNUT – led at least six DEC agents to Longo’s home near the Pennsylvania border last week.
DEC officials removed the squirrel and raccoon 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 said. “They treated me like I was a drug dealer and they were looking for drugs and weapons.”
Longo runs an animal sanctuary with his wife Daniela, and each of them has a large social media presence promoting their Onlyfans content.
He said they were able to buy their 350-acre home with the $800,000 they made in a month posting their pornography online after their content gained traction after Peanut went viral.
Peanut’s death became a strange election talking point after a fake post by Trump that appeared to condemn the squirrel’s seizure and subsequent death went viral.
‘Maybe it’s someone who thinks I use this place to make a lot of money. Did this do wonders for my Onlyfans? Absolutely. There’s a lot of money being made out of this,” Longo told the New York Post.
Peanut’s death became a strange election talking point after a fake post by Trump that appeared to condemn the squirrel’s seizure and subsequent death went viral.
When the real Trump campaign learned of the conclusion, they clarified that it was false.
“It’s a false statement,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told the Post. “He didn’t actually say that,” he added.
