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    Peanut the Squirrel seized and removed from home in New York

    Vaseline Posted on

    “It is our understanding that the DEC will not tell us whether Peanut is alive or not,” owner Mark Longo told his followers on Thursday.

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    A wild animal that became a social media star was seized from his New York home this week and fans are working to get him back home.

    Peanut the Squirrel, who has 534,000 followers on Instagram, was removed from his home in Pine City, New York, by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday morning. Peanut, also known as PNUT, is the beloved pet of content creator Mark Longo. In more than 1,400 posts shared on Instagram, Peanut can be seen eating waffles, jumping through hula hoops and greeting Longo when he gets home from work.

    In an Instagram post Wednesday, with a photo of Peanut wearing a cowboy hat, Longo shared the news.

    “Well internet, you won,” Longo wrote in the post. “You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. Today at 10am, Wednesday October 30, 2024, the NY State DEC came to my house and took Peanut. He was taken to be euthanized. I am shocked, in disbelief and disgust at the people who did this to PNUT. For the past seven years, Peanut has been my best friend. I don’t know how to handle this emotionally.”

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    ‘This is madness’: Peanut the Squirrel fans are angry over his removal

    The New York Department of Environmental Conservation provided the following statement to US TODAY regarding the seizure:

    “Following multiple reports from the public regarding the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that can transmit rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets, DEC conducted an investigation. DEC’s investigation is ongoing and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

    In response to Peanut’s seizure, a petition was created on Change.org asking the Department of Environmental Conservation to “re-evaluate their decision and return him (Peanut) to his family.” As of Friday morning, the petition had 24,772 signatures.

    “Dear lawmakers, please investigate this situation and stop it. This is madness,” one petitioner said in a video shared in the campaign. “Please give that man his squirrel back. That little animal brought so much love and so much joy to so many people during such a dark time in human history. This is wrong.’

    In addition to the petition, a GoFundMe campaign has been started to raise money “to cover the legal costs of attorneys who will help us address the damage caused and ensure Peanut’s return to his loving home.” As of Friday morning, $6,510 had been raised.

    In a post to Instagram on Thursday, Longo shared a video with an update and thanked Peanut fans.

    “It is our understanding that the DEC will not tell us whether Peanut is alive or not,” Longo said in the video. I can’t give you a definitive answer as to whether he is still here with us. I hope we get the chance to take him back and continue this journey.”

    Who is Peanut the Squirrel?

    Peanut is a rescue squirrel who has lived under Longo’s care for seven years.

    Longo first came into contact 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, bawling my eyes out, like I failed you 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 year, 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. So far, 18 horses, one miniature horse, four cows, three alpacas, one parrot, one pig and two geese call the sanctuary home, according to the website.

    USA TODAY reached out to Longo but was unable to contact him for an interview.

    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 shelter 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.

    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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