Peanut the Squirrel’s owner shares candid reaction to pet’s death

A northern state Squirrel from New York loved by hundreds thousands of social media followers were captured and euthanized by state officials earlier this week.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Health Department announced in a statement Friday afternoon that both a squirrel and a raccoon seized from a residence Wednesday were euthanized to be tested for rabies . USA TODAY reported. The statement says a person involved in the seizure investigation was bitten by the squirrel.

The owners of Peanut the Squirrel, who has now amassed 550,000 followers on Instagramconfirmed his euthanasia in a video posted to Instagram on Friday.

Here’s what you need to know.

What happened to Peanut the Squirrel?

Peanut the Squirrel was taken from his home in Pine City, just southwest of Elmira, by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday morning. Peanut, also known as PNUT, was the beloved pet of content creator Mark Longo. In over 1,400 posts shared on Instagram, Peanut can be seen munching on waffles, jumping through hula hoops and greeting Longo home from work.

In recent days, Longo has shared several statements about Peanut’s Instagram accountkeeping fans updated in hopes that Peanut can return home.

“Peanuts was the best thing that ever happened to us,” Longo said in a tearful video posted to Instagram on Friday. “And I got confirmation that they put him down. I want to keep fighting this fight as long as I can…”

In response to the peanut confiscation, a Change.org petition and GoFundMe campaign were created to “give back (peanuts)” to his family. As of Saturday morning, the petition had 35,589 signatures and the GoFundMe had raised $36,323.

Who was Peanut the Squirrel?

Peanut was a rescue squirrel who lived in Longo’s care for seven years.

Longo first met Peanut when he saw the squirrel’s mother hit by a car, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. Unfortunately, Mom passed away, leaving Peanut an orphan. Longo was unable to find a shelter to house him. Longo ended up feeding the baby Peanut for about eight months before trying to release it back into the wild.

“I released him in the back yard and a day and a half later I found him sitting on the porch with half his tail missing. So here I am, bawling my eyes out, like I’ve failed you as a man,” Longo said USA TODAY in 2022. “And I kind of opened the door, he ran in, and that was the end of Peanut’s wild career.”

For the first five years, Longo, Peanut, and Longo’s cat, Chloe, lived together in harmony.

Last year, Longo established P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in Pine City. The nonprofit serves as a “paradise where neglected and homeless animals get a second chance at life,” according to it. website. To date, 18 horses, one mini horse, four cows, three alpacas, one parrot, one pig and two geese host the sanctuary at home, according to him. website.

Local lawmaker responds to euthanizing the Peanut Squirrel

Congressman Nick Langworthy, who represents Chemung County in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, said people from all over the country have contacted his office about impounding and euthanizing Peanut the Squirrel.

“Reports say that following their unannounced raid on a home in Chemung County, DEC agents went ahead and killed their animals unnecessarily,” Langworthy said in a written statement Friday. “The pet owner was denied due process and now his pets are dead… I demand answers and will push until the administration comes clean.”

Why do animals have to be euthanized to test for rabies?

right Centers for Disease Control and Preventionanimals showing signs of rabies must be euthanized for specimen submission to a qualified rabies laboratory for testing. This is because a rabies test includes a “complete cross-section of tissue from both the brainstem and cerebellum.” There are no approved methods for ante-mortem animal rabies testing.

Is it legal to keep squirrels as pets in NY?

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation states that it is illegal for young wild animals to be kept as pets.

“Improper care of young wildlife often results in abnormal attachment to humans,” Department of Environmental Conservation states. “After release, some return to places where people live, only to be attacked by domestic animals or hit by cars. Some become nuisances that end up in stored food, trash cans, or homes. And some may be pushed out as unwanted intruders in the home. the range of another member of their species”.

If a person finds a young wild animal that is injured or orphaned, the department recommends contacting a wildlife rehabilitator, who “They are the only people legally authorized to receive and treat wildlife in distress.” The goal of the rehabilitators is to safely release the animal, when healthy, back into the wild.

Emily Barnes reports on consumer issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect team, focusing on fraud and recall topics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at [email protected].