Peanut the squirrel, Instagram star, euthanized by New York state authorities
By Kristie Keleshian
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NEW YORK (WCBS) — Peanut the squirrel, a pet that gained social media fame, was euthanized by New York state wildlife officials as part of a test for rabies.
Mark Longo, Peanut’s owner, claimed excessive force was used to seize his pet squirrel earlier in the week. State wildlife officials said it was illegal to own the wild animal.
Longo launched Peanut the squirrel to social media fame over the past seven years. In a video posted to his Instagram account, he said through tears, “Peanut was the best thing that ever happened to us.”
The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation seized the squirrel Wednesday, along with Longo’s pet raccoon named Fred.
“On Oct. 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized,” the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health said in a statement. “The animals are being tested for rabies and anyone who has been in contact with these animals is strongly encouraged to consult their physician.”
Longo said the raid on his home and farm, known as P’nuts Freedom Farm, took five hours.
“You need that many officers to show up to my house to literally pull my closets apart?” Longo said.
Tens of thousands of signatures in an online petition demanded Peanut’s return before Friday afternoon, but wild animals are considered property in New York.
Under state law, the only way to legally rescue squirrels is to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, a process that can take months, and to legally keep a domesticated wild animal, it also has to be registered to be an educational animal.
“We were ready to comply, we were ready to get the paperwork, we were in the process of doing that. We needed a little bit of guidance from the DEC,” Longo said.
He says he plans to take legal action over what he considered was excessive force from the raid.
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