close
close

Peanut squirrel owner shares his heartfelt reaction to his pet's death

A squirrel in upstate New York beloved by hundreds of thousands of social media followers was seized and euthanized by state officials earlier this week.

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 home on Wednesday were euthanized to be tested for rabies , USA TODAY reported. The statement said a person involved in the seizure investigation was bitten by the squirrel.

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

Here's what you should know.

What happened to Peanut the squirrel?

Peanut the squirrel was removed from his home in Pine City, southwest of Elmira, 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.

Over the past few days, Longo has shared several statements on Peanut's Instagram account, keeping fans updated in hopes that Peanut returns home.

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

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 Saturday morning, the petition had 35,589 signatures and the GoFundMe had raised $36,323.

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.

Are you eligible for money in NY?: Settlement of price fixing for prescription drugs

Local lawmakers respond to euthanasia of Peanut the squirrel

Congressman Nick Langworthy, who represents Chemung County in New York's 23rd Congressional District, said people from across the country have contacted his office about the seizure and euthanasia of Peanut the squirrel.

“Dec agents reportedly followed up their unannounced raid on a home in Chemung County and unnecessarily killed their animals,” Langworthy said in a written statement Friday. “The pet owner was not afforded due process and now the process belongs to him. “Pets are dead… I demand answers and will apply pressure until the administration comes clean.”

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.

Privacy concerns: Wegmans' facial recognition pilot program is causing a stir

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.

Emily Barnes covers consumer-related topics for the USA TODAY Network's New York Connect team, focusing on fraud and recall issues. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Contact us at [email protected].

You may also like...