Social media star Peanut the Squirrel euthanized by the state of New York
The heartbreaking death of Peanut, the beloved Instagram-famous squirrel, has called into question the legality of squirrel ownership in New York.
Peanut and his racoon friend Fred were both euthanized by the state on Friday after Department of Environmental Conservation officials raided their owner's Pine City home.
Mark Longo, 34, is the founder of P´Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.
In New York, people licensed as wildlife rehabilitators can care for squirrels or other wild animals as long as they intend to set them back out into the wild.
Mark Longo showed his pet squirrel Peanut that was seized by officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, at Longo's home in rural Pine City, New York
Fred the raccoon was also euthanized by officials from New York State on Friday
'It is with profound sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news: on October 30th, the DEC made the devastating decision to euthanize our beloved Peanut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon,' he wrote on Instagram.
Longo said: 'The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!
Peanut could perform tricks including jumping through hoops
Peanut had more than half a million followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms during the seven years since Longo took him in after seeing his mother get hit by a car in New York City.
Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before trying to release the squirrel into the great outdoors.
'A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch missing half of his tail with his bone sticking out,' Longo said.
Peanut the squirrel had over 540,000 followers online and appeared to have spread joy
He quickly determined that Peanut lacked the survival skills to live in the wild and would remain an indoor squirrel.
Soon after Longo posted videos of Peanut playing with his cat, internet fame followed.
A scroll through Peanut's Instagram account confirms he was no ordinary squirrel.
Peanut would leap on to Longo's shoulder, wear a miniature cowboy hat, and eat a waffle while wearing crocheted bunny ears.
Longo penned a sorrowful message to his followers on Friday: 'To the group of people who called DEC, there's a special place in hell for you.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14036707/pet-squirrels-legal-New-York-Peanut-euthanized.html
News anchors from a flagship news station in New York were seen reacting unfavorably to the saga surrounding Peanut the squirrel.
Gus Rosendale and Pat Battle, both co-anchors for NBC 4 New York's 'Weekend Today in New York', expressed disdain over state officials' decision to put the pet down.
Rosendale also made a snide comment about Albany's warped priorities, ahead of election week, as he sniped: 'All right - that's what Albany is focusing on.'
Peanut, who had become a social media sensation, was killed after a raid on owner Mark Longo's home on Wednesday.
The pet squirrel has since become an election talking point for conservatives, with the Trump campaign slamming the Democrat New York government for 'executing' Peanut - but failing to crackdown on the migrant crisis.
Gus Rosendale, who has manned his network's news desks for more than a decade, couldn't help but deviate from the script and speak negatively about the state government - letting out an incredulous smirk
'Authorities seized Peanut from a home in Pine City, New York- a little town south of Elmira' Rosendale said.
The squirrel's mother was hit by a car and Longo had been taking care of the animal ever since.
'A raccoon taken during the same raid was also put down,' he continued, both he and Battle visibly somber.
Gus Rosendale and Pat Battle, both co-anchors for NBC 4 New York's 'Weekend Today in New York', expressed disdain over state officials' decision to put the pet down
Peanut
The outrage centered around the New York State government continues to swirl.
'What kind of person do these agencies employ?' one observer wrote of the at least six officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation responsible for the squirrel's death.
'Who has it in them to murder a bloody pet squirrel?'
This earned a response from none other than Elon Musk, who had a blunt assessment of the recent sequence of events.
'The government is a mindless and heartless killing machine,' he said - as an array of memes ensued.
'President Trump will save the squirrels,' Musk wrote. 'RIP P’Nut.'
Even Musk took part, sharing an AI-generated image of a squirrel toting a Star Wars lightsaber and an accompanying Peanut-related play on words
'The government is a mindless and heartless killing machine,' Musk said
Donald Trump Jr. took to X
If Peanut could have told them he was from Mexico, they would have sent him on his way and given him a hotel room and $500 gift card.
Peanut the squirrel had over 580,000 followers online
Peanut
'Honestly, this still kind of feels surreal, that the state that I live in actually targeted me and took two of the most beloved animals on this planet away, didn´t even quarantine them. They took them from my house and just killed them,' Longo said.
Longo started caring for Peanut after the animal's mother was hit by a car in New York City seven years ago.
A number of memes popped up following Peanut's death
'The NYS DEC needs a serious reality check on their ridiculously mistaken priorities.' New York Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY) wrote in a post.
'Instead of focusing on critical needs like flood mitigation, where local officials have to struggle just to get permits from the DEC to clear debris-filled waterways, they're out seizing pet squirrels. NY taxpayers deserve better.'
Others on social media were also incredulous at what had unfolded.
'Peanut the Squirrel's owner speaks about our government kidnapping this squirrel, the raccoon brother, and then just killing them.' one user said.
'Four departments and a judge had to sign off for this kidnapping and this euthanasia to happen.'
'This can't be real,' another user said. 'Is this a joke? Are they joking? They're really sent a S.W.A.T. team to go get a squirrel and a raccoon?'
The orphaned squirrel that became a social media star called Peanut was euthanized after state authorities seized the beloved pet during a raid on his caretaker's home.
At least six officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation raided Mark Longo's home near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City.
DEC officials took the squirrel and a raccoon named Fred from Longo's home after they carried out a search warrant signed by four state agencies, all ignoring calls for clemency.
'The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!' said Longo, who is 34.
The DEC and Chemung County Department of Health confirmed both animals' fate.
'On October 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans. Both animals were euthanized,' the agencies said in a statement.
Over the years Peanut's story has been featured on TV and newspapers including USA Today.
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