Social media star squirrel euthanized after being taken from home tests negative for rabies

Associated Press

A pet squirrel who was a social media star before being seized by authorities in upstate New York has tested negative for rabies. Peanut the squirrel landed at the center of national furor after it was seized from its owner and euthanized. A Chemung County official said during a news conference Tuesday that the squirrel and a raccoon that had been living at the home both tested negative for the disease. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation took the animals on Oct. 30 from Mark Longo’s home and animal sanctuary near the Pennsylvania border. The agency said it had received complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally and potentially unsafely.