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48
“Feels So Unjust”: Fans Devastated After Famous Squirrel Is Seized And Euthanized By Authorities
Peanut the Squirrel, a social media sensation who captured the hearts of thousands of fans on social media, was euthanized earlier today (November 1).
“It has been a terrible nightmare for me,” said Mark Longo, Peanut’s owner, after uploading an update video on Instagram, where more than 534,000 fans of the squirrel joined him in expressing their sorrow over the pet’s untimely passing.
Highlights
- Peanut the Squirrel, loved by thousands, euthanized due to rabies diagnosis.
- Fans raised over $12,500 on GoFundMe for Peanut's return and DEC reform.
- Mark Longo found Peanut as a baby, turning him into a social media star.
- DEC justified actions citing rabies risk and illegal wildlife ownership.
Peanut was taken from Longo’s house in Pine City, New York, on Wednesday (October 30), alongside another one of his pets, a raccoon, after a rabies diagnosis forced the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to confiscate them for testing.
According to a statement released by the Chemung County Department of Health, the decision to put both pets down was made after a person involved in the operation was bitten by Peanut.
BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting
Peanut, the squirrel who became a social media sensation, was forcibly euthanized after being diagnosed with rabies by New York authorities
Image credits: Peanut The Squirrel
The squirrel had become a beloved figure online, delighting its fans by appearing in videos enjoying waffles, playing with hula hoops, and greeting Longo after a long day of work.
Mark and Peanut’s story began seven years ago when the former had found out that the latter’s mother had been struck by a car, unable to leave the baby squirrel to fend for himself. Mark took him home and gave him his now-famous name.
Despite Mark’s attempts to release the squirrel back into the wilderness, Peanut returned home every time, eventually becoming part of the family.
Image credits: Peanut The Squirrel
Upon Peanut’s seizure, his supporters launched a GoFundMe campaign petitioning for the squirrel to be brought home, and for the DEC to be reformed. As of today, the website has accumulated over 28,000 signatures and raised over $12,500 in funds.
Image credits: Peanut The Squirrel
Before the squirrel’s fate was confirmed, Mark expressed his concern and uncertainty on social media, hoping that his pet would be returned to him safely. After the news broke, he uploaded a tearful video holding a hand-drawn portrait of his pet, whom he referred to as his “best friend.”
View this post on Instagram
“Thank you for the best 7 years of my life. Thank you for bringing so much joy to us and the world,” he wrote, confessing to feeling guilty about not being able to protect Peanut. “I’m sorry I failed you but thank you for everything.”
Both his owner and fans of the pet were left angry by the DEC’s decision, believing it to be unjust. The organization replied, stating it was acting in accordance with the law
Image credits: Peanut The Squirrel
Peanut’s followers reacted with a mix of rage and frustration, feeling that the squirrel’s life had been taken unjustly and shaming those responsible for reporting the pet’s illness to the authorities.
View this post on Instagram
“I’m shell shocked by this. I hope those behind the reports don’t sleep at night,” one viewer stated. “I hope time heals as much of this pain as it can for you both, Peanut was wonderful, I loved watching his videos all the way from the UK.”
“This sweet squirrel was living his best life. What the f–k is wrong with people!?” another asked.
Image credits: Peanut The Squirrel
As Mark announced through his non-profit, P’nuts Freedom Farm is going to demand accountability from the DEC but gave no specifics as to which measures they intend to take.
“Despite our passionate outcry for compassion, the agency chose to ignore our pleas, leaving us in deep shock and grief,” Mark wrote. “To add to our anguish, they informed the media of their decision before even notifying P’nuts Freedom Farm, his loving home.”
View this post on Instagram
For the DEC, the decision was justified due to the prevalence of rabies in raccoons across New York’s Southern Tier. Due to the high risk of contagion, animals displaying symptoms are euthanized to collect their brain tissue samples for testing.
The department also stressed that keeping wild animals as pets is illegal in New York and that they were acting in compliance with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Bored Panda has reached out to Mark Longo and the P’nut Farm for comment.
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What do you think ?
Angrykitten 1 year ago (edited)
If the animal had rabies what else could be done but euthanize? I think I'm missing something because I don't understand
Sunny Day 1 year ago
The squirrel was not showing any signs of being sick. Normal procedure is "quarantine & observe" to see if it is getting sick. They euthanized immediately to avoid the inevitable "return the squirrel" court order after public outcry. No way to return = no egg on their faces.
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LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
So... an animal that is illegal to keep as a pet and BIT A PERSON was seized and euthanized due to it displaying symptoms of rabies? Why is that creating a frigging lynch mob mentality? The squirrel BIT someone. And it is NOT legal to keep them as pets in New York. I absolutely feel for the Longo family, as I understand loving a pet (even one that is a wild animal - I used to catch lizards in my backyard and keep them as pets when I was a kid) but he has no leg to stand on, in my opinion, when the animal was illegal to keep as a pet in the first place. Raccoons are also illegal to keep as pets in NY. It sucks that Longo's animals were seized and euthanized, but he wasn't allowed to even have them in the first place. And, again, the squirrel bit a human. Since it was displaying rabies symptoms, that person now has to have expensive and painful anti-rabies treatment. I love animals more than I love people, but an animal that bites/attacks humans is a risk to human life.
BoredPangolin 1 year ago
I agree with you but for one point: there is literally no way to manipulate a roden (rats, squirrels, even rabits) that don't know you without risking a bite. When scared and stressed, rodents bite. It's hardly a cause for concern in itself, I'm hoping the bite wasn't the one reason for euthanasia and that they actually tested him. It's not like dogs.
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Ryan-James O'Driscoll 1 year ago
Rabies is a horrific disease that is universally fatal once symptoms develop. People rallying behind this squirrel need to rethink their priorities.
ALonelyHeart 1 year ago
Neither animal was exhibiting any symptoms of rabies and they were kept inside. A squirrel outside is highly unlikely to contract rabies anyway. The typical procedure is to quarantine an anima, such as a dog when they bite someone - even if there is evidence of a rabies shot. This agency acted over and above what they say is the law and did wrong on every level, all because someone complained from hundreds of miles away about the dangers that did not exist.
Load More Replies... BoredPangolin 1 year ago
I do absolutely love animals but I find it hard to sympathize for the owner. He took in two animals who are illegal to own in his place, rather than bringing them to rescues. He then made money out of videos of said illegal pets. It's tragic the squirrel had to pass away.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
It's also baffling to me that Longo is saying (now that Peanut is dead) that he was "in the process" of applying for a permit for Peanut to be an "educational" animal. He's had Peanut for 7 years. In those 7 years he apparently didn't bother initiating the permit process, or any sort of permit for him to be an actual wildlife rehabilitator (he is not one.) He had 7 years to do so. Even with bureaucratic red tape, it doesn't take 7 years to register a squirrel to be an "educational" specimen so that Longo would have legally been able to keep him in captivity in New York. It's horrible that Peanut and Fred had to be euthanized; I have no doubt Longo loved them deeply and is devastated. But they were illegal pets and he had to know that there was a risk every single day that they could be seized and removed from his possession, especially since he made tons of posts on social media that he was clearly keeping an illegal animal as a pet.
Load More Replies... Grenelda Thurber 1 year ago
What exactly is the GoFundMe for? Rabies vaccinations for everyone who's been exposed? It's illegal to keep squirrels as pets. Keeping animals that display symptoms of rabies as pets is also stupid.
ALonelyHeart 1 year ago
Neither animal was exhibiting any symptoms of rabies and had been contained inside and not exposed to any other animals where they could have contracted rabies! Even squirrels in the wild do not contract rabies!
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similarly 1 year ago
You can save a squirrel. You can feed a squirrel. If you like, you can pet a squirrel. What you can't do is keep it as a pet. Let it stay outside. Build it a squirrel hut to live in, if you like. Film it if you like. But always keep a degree of deniability. "Nah. Not mine. It lives in that tree over there."
ChugChug 1 year ago (edited)
For those who don't understand, they were only suspecting rabies because it bit a person who the animal didn't know (it was probably stressed). So based on this they had to put it down. The only way to test rabies is to cut out a piece from their brain, so testing before euthanasia is not an option. Quarantine is also difficult because incubation period for rabies can be as long as 1 year... so very sad situation. It should have been vaccinated really, but since its illegal to keep wild animals, I guess they couldn't do that either..
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
I think there was likely also a lot of concern because Fred the raccoon was a fairly recent acquisition at their "sanctuary", and raccoons are a common vector for rabies. There was probably fear that Fred could have exposed the Longos (and, in theory, Peanut) to the rabies virus, if Fred himself was infected. I don't think Peanut was necessarily exhibiting "signs" of rabies - I doubt the necropsy will even show he had the virus - but the DEC was being cautious, as rabies is invariably fatal without costly post-exposure treatment (HRIG can cost several thousands of dollars.) There is a vaccine for raccoons (it is used in bait-drops to vaccinate large groups of wild raccoons) but I'm not sure there's a "safe", effective vaccine for squirrels, as there's likely been zero research into creating one. But you're correct, even if the Longos had taken Fred to a vet, the vet wouldn't have vaccinated him, as they are illegal to keep as pets.
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Deborah B 1 year ago
Accountable for what? Following the law? Confiscating an illegal pet with rabies symptoms, and euthanising it for testing after it bit someone? Yes, it completely sucks for the squirrel, and everyone who loves the squirrel but point your outrage somewhere productive. Instead of attacking DEC for following the rules, advocate for changes to legislation.
StarCrossedFriday 1 year ago
Did it have rabies symptoms? Biting a stranger isn’t in itself a sure fire way of diagnosing rabies. If the only issue was that it was illegal and might have rabies, instantly putting it down seems extreme. We need more info.
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Nimitz 1 year ago
The people calling for lawsuits are the finest examples of toxic positivity... Someone adopted a squirrel and racoon and it didn't work out? You don't say! This guy fully clowned himself, but managed to make literally thousands of dollars off of putting other people in danger... *table flip*
Surly Scot 1 year ago
Need more information. Was the raccon vaccinated for rabies? Squirrels can't be vaccinated for it and they rarely get rabies or transmit it. Perhaps he never had the raccoon vaccinated, it caught rabies and started displaying symptoms, so they had to remove the squirrel as well for everyone's safety. It states there was a confirmed rabies diagnosis, so maybe he took the raccoon to the vet for its odd rabies behavior, vet confirmed and reported it to the authorities, guy took raccoon back home ignoring the problem, authorities acted on the report and came for both animals.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
It is rare for a squirrel to get rabies ONLY because rabies is transmitted via saliva - and that means that a squirrel could, in normal wild circumstances, only acquire rabies infection if it was bitten by a rabid animal. Squirrels and small and are typically killed if bitten by a larger, rabid animal, so rabies infection in squirrels is rarely seen because of this, NOT because they are resistant or "immune" to rabies. Since Fred the raccoon was a recent acquisition, I doubt he was vaccinated. Speaking hypothetically, if Fred DID carry the rabies virus, he could transmit it to Peanut via a bite/nip, a scratch, or even if he simply licked/groomed Peanut. It is still unlikely that Peanut was infected even if Fred IS found to have had been infected, but Peanut still would have been seized anyway because it is illegal to keep squirrels as pets. He may not have been euthanized at all if Fred had never been rescued/present - and Longo could have applied for a permit to keep Peanut.
Load More Replies... Angrykitten 1 year ago (edited)
If the animal had rabies what else could be done but euthanize? I think I'm missing something because I don't understand
Sunny Day 1 year ago
The squirrel was not showing any signs of being sick. Normal procedure is "quarantine & observe" to see if it is getting sick. They euthanized immediately to avoid the inevitable "return the squirrel" court order after public outcry. No way to return = no egg on their faces.
Load More Replies... LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
So... an animal that is illegal to keep as a pet and BIT A PERSON was seized and euthanized due to it displaying symptoms of rabies? Why is that creating a frigging lynch mob mentality? The squirrel BIT someone. And it is NOT legal to keep them as pets in New York. I absolutely feel for the Longo family, as I understand loving a pet (even one that is a wild animal - I used to catch lizards in my backyard and keep them as pets when I was a kid) but he has no leg to stand on, in my opinion, when the animal was illegal to keep as a pet in the first place. Raccoons are also illegal to keep as pets in NY. It sucks that Longo's animals were seized and euthanized, but he wasn't allowed to even have them in the first place. And, again, the squirrel bit a human. Since it was displaying rabies symptoms, that person now has to have expensive and painful anti-rabies treatment. I love animals more than I love people, but an animal that bites/attacks humans is a risk to human life.
BoredPangolin 1 year ago
I agree with you but for one point: there is literally no way to manipulate a roden (rats, squirrels, even rabits) that don't know you without risking a bite. When scared and stressed, rodents bite. It's hardly a cause for concern in itself, I'm hoping the bite wasn't the one reason for euthanasia and that they actually tested him. It's not like dogs.
Load More Replies... Ryan-James O'Driscoll 1 year ago
Rabies is a horrific disease that is universally fatal once symptoms develop. People rallying behind this squirrel need to rethink their priorities.
ALonelyHeart 1 year ago
Neither animal was exhibiting any symptoms of rabies and they were kept inside. A squirrel outside is highly unlikely to contract rabies anyway. The typical procedure is to quarantine an anima, such as a dog when they bite someone - even if there is evidence of a rabies shot. This agency acted over and above what they say is the law and did wrong on every level, all because someone complained from hundreds of miles away about the dangers that did not exist.
Load More Replies... BoredPangolin 1 year ago
I do absolutely love animals but I find it hard to sympathize for the owner. He took in two animals who are illegal to own in his place, rather than bringing them to rescues. He then made money out of videos of said illegal pets. It's tragic the squirrel had to pass away.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
It's also baffling to me that Longo is saying (now that Peanut is dead) that he was "in the process" of applying for a permit for Peanut to be an "educational" animal. He's had Peanut for 7 years. In those 7 years he apparently didn't bother initiating the permit process, or any sort of permit for him to be an actual wildlife rehabilitator (he is not one.) He had 7 years to do so. Even with bureaucratic red tape, it doesn't take 7 years to register a squirrel to be an "educational" specimen so that Longo would have legally been able to keep him in captivity in New York. It's horrible that Peanut and Fred had to be euthanized; I have no doubt Longo loved them deeply and is devastated. But they were illegal pets and he had to know that there was a risk every single day that they could be seized and removed from his possession, especially since he made tons of posts on social media that he was clearly keeping an illegal animal as a pet.
Load More Replies... Grenelda Thurber 1 year ago
What exactly is the GoFundMe for? Rabies vaccinations for everyone who's been exposed? It's illegal to keep squirrels as pets. Keeping animals that display symptoms of rabies as pets is also stupid.
ALonelyHeart 1 year ago
Neither animal was exhibiting any symptoms of rabies and had been contained inside and not exposed to any other animals where they could have contracted rabies! Even squirrels in the wild do not contract rabies!
Load More Replies... similarly 1 year ago
You can save a squirrel. You can feed a squirrel. If you like, you can pet a squirrel. What you can't do is keep it as a pet. Let it stay outside. Build it a squirrel hut to live in, if you like. Film it if you like. But always keep a degree of deniability. "Nah. Not mine. It lives in that tree over there."
ChugChug 1 year ago (edited)
For those who don't understand, they were only suspecting rabies because it bit a person who the animal didn't know (it was probably stressed). So based on this they had to put it down. The only way to test rabies is to cut out a piece from their brain, so testing before euthanasia is not an option. Quarantine is also difficult because incubation period for rabies can be as long as 1 year... so very sad situation. It should have been vaccinated really, but since its illegal to keep wild animals, I guess they couldn't do that either..
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
I think there was likely also a lot of concern because Fred the raccoon was a fairly recent acquisition at their "sanctuary", and raccoons are a common vector for rabies. There was probably fear that Fred could have exposed the Longos (and, in theory, Peanut) to the rabies virus, if Fred himself was infected. I don't think Peanut was necessarily exhibiting "signs" of rabies - I doubt the necropsy will even show he had the virus - but the DEC was being cautious, as rabies is invariably fatal without costly post-exposure treatment (HRIG can cost several thousands of dollars.) There is a vaccine for raccoons (it is used in bait-drops to vaccinate large groups of wild raccoons) but I'm not sure there's a "safe", effective vaccine for squirrels, as there's likely been zero research into creating one. But you're correct, even if the Longos had taken Fred to a vet, the vet wouldn't have vaccinated him, as they are illegal to keep as pets.
Load More Replies... Deborah B 1 year ago
Accountable for what? Following the law? Confiscating an illegal pet with rabies symptoms, and euthanising it for testing after it bit someone? Yes, it completely sucks for the squirrel, and everyone who loves the squirrel but point your outrage somewhere productive. Instead of attacking DEC for following the rules, advocate for changes to legislation.
StarCrossedFriday 1 year ago
Did it have rabies symptoms? Biting a stranger isn’t in itself a sure fire way of diagnosing rabies. If the only issue was that it was illegal and might have rabies, instantly putting it down seems extreme. We need more info.
Load More Replies... Nimitz 1 year ago
The people calling for lawsuits are the finest examples of toxic positivity... Someone adopted a squirrel and racoon and it didn't work out? You don't say! This guy fully clowned himself, but managed to make literally thousands of dollars off of putting other people in danger... *table flip*
Surly Scot 1 year ago
Need more information. Was the raccon vaccinated for rabies? Squirrels can't be vaccinated for it and they rarely get rabies or transmit it. Perhaps he never had the raccoon vaccinated, it caught rabies and started displaying symptoms, so they had to remove the squirrel as well for everyone's safety. It states there was a confirmed rabies diagnosis, so maybe he took the raccoon to the vet for its odd rabies behavior, vet confirmed and reported it to the authorities, guy took raccoon back home ignoring the problem, authorities acted on the report and came for both animals.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 1 year ago
It is rare for a squirrel to get rabies ONLY because rabies is transmitted via saliva - and that means that a squirrel could, in normal wild circumstances, only acquire rabies infection if it was bitten by a rabid animal. Squirrels and small and are typically killed if bitten by a larger, rabid animal, so rabies infection in squirrels is rarely seen because of this, NOT because they are resistant or "immune" to rabies. Since Fred the raccoon was a recent acquisition, I doubt he was vaccinated. Speaking hypothetically, if Fred DID carry the rabies virus, he could transmit it to Peanut via a bite/nip, a scratch, or even if he simply licked/groomed Peanut. It is still unlikely that Peanut was infected even if Fred IS found to have had been infected, but Peanut still would have been seized anyway because it is illegal to keep squirrels as pets. He may not have been euthanized at all if Fred had never been rescued/present - and Longo could have applied for a permit to keep Peanut.
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