An Instagram-Famous Pet With Over 500,000 Followers Was Euthanized By Wildlife Authorities Complaints about a squirrel named Peanut led to action by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
By David James
Key Takeaways
- A social media star squirrel named Peanut was taken from a home in New York.
- Officials say that it is illegal to keep wildlife as pets.
New York resident Mark Longo, 34, had his rural home raided by New York's Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday. Their target? Peanut, a social media star who also happens to be a squirrel. Officers also confiscated a raccoon named Fred from Longo's home.
On Friday, officials reported that Peanut and the raccoon were euthanized.
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"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 agencies 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."
A spokesperson for the DEC said in a statement that the raid came after the agency received "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets."
Seven years ago, Longo says he saw a squirrel get hit by a car in New York City and noticed Peanut, whom he presumed was now an orphan. Longo says he took Peanut home, nursed him for eight months, and then released him to the wild.
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"A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch missing half of his tail with his bone sticking out," Longo told AP News.
He took the squirrel back in and started an Instagram account that had amassed 534K followers.
"The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!" Longo told AP News. "I was treated as if I was a drug dealer and they were going for drugs and guns."
Longo addressed the incident on Instagram.
"Everyone with a pet is in shock right now that this could happen to them," he reposted from the Animal Rescue Mission.
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