A renowned squirrel was removed from his house and murdered after officials claimed it bit an official. Peanut the Squirrel may be familiar to you because he looks like a wild rodent and has perhaps eaten your feed.
The friendly squirrel rose to prominence seven years ago after its owners dressed it up in attractive clothing, including a cowboy, and taught it tricks, earning the fluffy-tailed creature nationwide acclaim.
Tragically, on Wednesday, October 30, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized the animal and “Fred the raccoon” before euthanizing them both. Mark Longo, the owner, turned to Instagram to relay the news, writing, “Well, internet, you WON. Because of your selfishness, you took away one of my favorite animals.” “The people who called the DEC deserve a special place in hell.” On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 10 a.m., the New York State DEC arrived at my residence and took Peanut away. He was TRANSPORTED to the EUTHANIZED. I’m shocked, disbelieving, and appalled by the folks who did this to PNUT.
“For the past seven years, Peanut has been my best buddy. He has been a part of my life and many of yours for so long that I’m at a loss for how to process this emotionally. He kept going: “Last year we moved to NY in hopes of starting a NONPROFIT animal rescue in PNUT’s name. @pnuts_freedom_farm will forever live in PNUT’s memory.” With over 350 rescues, we’ve depended largely on PNUT and his online community to raise funds to aid additional animals. I’m not sure how I’ll continue to fundraise for this group. I will be taking a break from social media for a while. To those who accomplished this… THANK YOU for tearing a family apart and ruining our nonprofit’s chances of survival.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has stayed around for the past seven years to witness Peanut and his antics.” I’ll set up a fundraiser for anybody who wants to give in Peanut’s honor. I will never give up on this nonprofit or the people who fell in love with peanuts. Thank you, everyone.” Marc Longo. According to WETM, the DEC reported that Peanut bit an investigator on the hand during his removal from his Elmira home. “In addition, the squirrel bit a person involved in the investigation,” read the statement. We killed both animals to test for rabies. We are checking the animals for rabies, and we strongly advise anyone who has come into contact with them to visit their doctor.”
Peanut and Fred, rest in peace.