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Peanut the squirrel was euthanized 2 days after moving from New York

“It was a terrible nightmare for me,” Peanut owner Mark Longo said in an Instagram video Friday morning.

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Peanut the squirrel was euthanized two days after he was kidnapped from his home in New York.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Department of Health announced in a statement Friday afternoon that both a squirrel and a raccoon seized from a residence on Wednesday were euthanized for rabies testing. The statement said a person involved in the seizure investigation was bitten by the squirrel.

Peanut the squirrel, who had 534,000 followers on Instagram, was abducted from his home in Pine City, New York, by the New York City Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday morning. Peanut, also known as PNUT, was the beloved pet of content creator Mark Longo. In more than 1,400 posts shared on Instagram, Peanut can be seen eating waffles, jumping through hula hoops and greeting Longo home from work.

According to the DEC and the Department of Health, rabies has been detected in raccoons in New York's Southern Tier, which includes Pine City, for more than 30 years.

Over the past few days, Longo has shared several statements on Peanut's Instagram account, keeping fans updated in hopes that Peanut returns home. At the time of publication, Longo had not yet commented on the breaking news.

“It was a terrible nightmare for me,” Longo said in his latest video, posted Friday morning.

In response to Peanut's seizure, a Change.org petition and a GoFundMe campaign were created to “return him (Peanut) to his family.” As of Friday afternoon, the petition had 28,025 signatures and the GoFundMe had raised $7,875.

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

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, animals showing signs of rabies must be euthanized before the sample is sent 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.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Department of Health advised anyone who had contact with the seized squirrel or raccoon to seek medical attention.

Who was Peanut the Squirrel?

Peanut was a rescued squirrel who had lived in Longo's care for seven years.

According to previous reporting by USA TODAY, Longo first came into contact with Peanut when he saw the squirrel's mother get hit by a car. Unfortunately, the mother died and Peanut was an orphan. Longo was unable to find an animal shelter that would accept him. Longo ended up feeding baby Peanut for about eight months before attempting to release him back into the wild.

“I released him in the backyard and a day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch with half of his tail missing. So there I am, crying my eyes out, like, I failed you as your human,” Longo told USA TODAY in 2022. “And I kind of opened the door, he ran in and that was the last of Peanut’s wildlife career.”

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

Last year, Longo founded P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in Pine City. According to its website, the nonprofit serves as a “sanctuary where neglected and homeless animals are given a second chance at life.” To date, the sanctuary is home to 18 horses, a miniature horse, four cows, three alpacas, a parrot, a pig and two geese, according to the website.

USA TODAY reached out to Longo but was unable to contact him for an interview.

Is it legal to keep squirrels as pets in New York?

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection says it is illegal to keep young wild animals as pets.

“Inadequate care of young wild animals often leads to abnormal attachments to humans,” explains the Department of Environmental Conservation. “After release, some return to places where people live, only to be attacked by pets or hit by cars. Some become a nuisance by getting into stored food, trash cans or homes. And some may be thrust into the home as unwelcome intruders.” range of another member of their species.

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

This story has been updated to correct a grammatical error.

Greta Cross is a national trends reporter for USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

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