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    Owner of Peanut the Squirrel wants answers after pet was euthanized in New York

    Vaseline Posted on

    “We heard from another news station that they killed Peanut,” owner Mark Longo told NewsNation this weekend.

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    Mark Longo, who called Peanut the Squirrel his pet for the past seven years, described New York’s decision to seize and euthanize the wild animal that became a social media star as a “shame.”

    “What happened today and what happened this week is nothing short of a tragedy and an embarrassment to the state of New York,” Longo told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo this weekend. “We used resources of this state to kill a squirrel and a raccoon and rob my house like I was a drug dealer. We have the means to kill a raccoon and a squirrel, but we can’t fix the big bridges down the street? I’m shocked.”

    On November 1, Peanut the Squirrel, a social media star with now more than 692,000 Instagram followers — the account gained more following after last week’s events — was euthanized to be tested for rabies, according to a statement from the New York State Department or Environmental. Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health. The statement also said that a person involved in the seizure investigation was bitten by the squirrel.

    Two days earlier, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation had seized Peanut from his home in Pine City, New York. This seizure occurred due to “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 department said. A raccoon known as Fred was also seized from Longo’s home and euthanized.

    Over the weekend, Longo shared several posts on Peanut’s Instagram account, including interviews with news outlets, fan art tributes, and old videos of the pet.

    “We haven’t heard from the DEC. We haven’t even gotten a statement from the DEC. We heard from another news station that they killed Peanut,” Longo told NewsNation’s Cuomo.

    A GoFundMe campaign was set up in response to Peanut’s seizure. Initially, the GoFundMe served as a means for fans to help finance the legal fees that may accumulate to get Peanut back home. But this weekend, the purpose of the fundraiser changed to honor Peanut, with funding from P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping neglected animals. As of Monday morning, the GoFundMe had raised $162,955.

    USA TODAY made efforts to reach Longo.

    What is the result of the Peanut Rabies Test?

    Peanut’s rabies test results have not been shared. USA TODAY reached out to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Department of Health for an update Monday morning but has not yet heard back.

    According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rabies test results are typically available within 24 to 72 hours after an animal is euthanized.

    Can squirrels get rabies?

    Although it is rare, squirrels can carry rabies and a squirrel can transmit the virus to humans.

    According to Critter Control, a wildlife removal service, the saliva of a rabid squirrel contains a high concentration of the virus. Rabies is then contracted through direct contact, either through a bite, scratching or exposure to the salvia. Common symptoms of a rabid squirrel include circling, falling over, drooling, aggression and seizures and muscle spasms, reports Critter Control.

    Why must animals be euthanized to test for rabies?

    According to the CDC, animals showing signs of rabies must be euthanized before the sample can be sent to a qualified rabies laboratory for testing. This is because a rabies test involves a “complete cross-section of tissue from both the brainstem and cerebellum.” There are no approved methods for ante-mortem testing for rabies in animals.

    The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Department of Health advised anyone who came into contact with the seized squirrel or raccoon to consult a doctor.

    Was quarantine an option?

    Although the CDC recommends that an animal be euthanized, if rabies is suspected, stray dogs, cats and ferrets may undergo a “10-day observation if euthanasia is not preferred, especially if there is an opportunity to rehome the animal.”

    However, when it comes to other animals, action depends on “the species, bite conditions, rabies epidemiology in the area, the animal’s health history, and potential exposure to rabies,” according to the CDC.

    Who was Peanut the Squirrel?

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    Squirrel forms an unbreakable bond with the man who raised him

    Mark Longo and Peanut the squirrel have an unbreakable bond after Mark rescues him from the streets of New York.

    Animalkind, USA TODAY

    Peanut was a rescue squirrel who had lived in Longo’s care for seven years.

    Longo first connected with Peanut when he saw the squirrel’s mother get hit by a car, according to previous USA TODAY reporting. Unfortunately, the mother died, leaving Peanut an orphan. Longo failed to find a shelter that would receive him. Longo ended up nursing baby Peanut for about eight months before attempting to release him back into the wild.

    “I let him loose in the backyard, and a day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch with half his tail missing. So here I am, with tears in my eyes, like I let you down as your human,” Longo told USA TODAY in 2022. “And I opened the door a little bit, he ran in and that was the last of Peanut’s wildlife career.”

    For the first five years, Longo, Peanut and Longo’s cat, Chloe, lived together in harmony.

    Last spring, Longo founded P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in Pine City. The nonprofit serves as a “sanctuary where neglected and homeless animals are given a second chance at life,” according to its website.

    “We moved to a small town to start a non-profit animal rescue organization called P’Nut’s Freedom Farm. We understood that this internet sensation was a wave and we wanted to make something great out of it, so we moved from Connecticut to New York..have saved more than 300 animals, all in Peanut’s name,” Longo told NewsNation’s Cuomo. “Peanut is the center of our organization. I used his social media to raise money to continue helping animals.”

    Is it legal to keep squirrels as pets in New York?

    The New York Department of Environmental Conservation says it is illegal to keep young wildlife as pets.

    “Improper care of young wildlife often results in abnormal attachment to humans,” states the Department of Environmental Conservation. “After release, some return to places where people live, only to be attacked by pets or hit by cars. Some become a nuisance when they end up in stored food, garbage bins or homes. And some may enter the home as unwanted intruders . range of another member of their species.”

    If someone finds a young wild animal that is injured or orphaned, the department recommends calling a wildlife rehabilitator, who are “the only people legally allowed to take in and rescue distressed wildlife.” to deal with.” The goal of rehabilitation centers is to safely release the animal back into the wild when it is healthy.

    This story has been updated to correct a spelling error.

    Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].

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