The man who cares for an internet-famous squirrel named Peanut is pleading with New York authorities to return him after he was seized by authorities.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) raided Mark Longo’s home on Wednesday after complaints about potentially unsafe housing for the animal.

“To the group of people who called DEC, there is a special place in hell for you,” Longo said in an Instagram post announcing the seizure, adding that he did not know if the ash-colored rodent had been euthanized.

A petition for the animal’s return had more than 20,000 signatures as of Friday morning.

In subsequent posts on Instagram on Thursday, Mr. Longo said he was raising money for legal fees against the DEC.

A DEC statement said an investigation was launched after receiving “multiple reports from the public regarding the potentially unsafe housing of wild animals that can transmit rabies and the illegal keeping of wild animals as pets.”

The current condition of the squirrel has not been made clear by the DEC.

Mr. Longo took Peanut into his home seven years ago after noticing the baby squirrel living with his mother, who had been hit by a car.

He cared for Peanut until he was strong enough to be released, but said he found Peanut back on his porch the next morning with “a piece of his tail missing.”

Peanut’s Instagram account has since amassed more than 500,000 followers.

The account features videos of Peanut performing skits with Mr. Longo, occasionally wearing hats, often climbing over him or being hugged, and regularly eating waffles.

During the raid, the DEC also seized a raccoon that Mr. Longo had acquired in recent months and named it Fred.