UPDATE
Nov 2, 2024 7:00 AM CDT
It's bad news for Mark Longo: Peanut, the squirrel he rescued that was seized by New York authorities, is no more. In a Friday statement, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health said Peanut and a raccoon named Fred taken from Longo's home were euthanized to test for rabies, per USA Today. The statement added one person was bitten by Peanut during the confiscation, and that "anyone who has been in contact with these animals is strongly encouraged to consult their physician," per the AP. "Despite our passionate outcry for compassion, the agency chose to ignore our pleas, leaving us in deep shock and grief," Longo posted Friday on Instagram. "We urgently call on all of you to stand with us in demanding accountability from the DEC." He added in another post, to Peanut: "I'm sorry I failed you."
Nov 1, 2024 12:20 PM CDT
The caretaker of a rescued squirrel who's drawn half a million fans on Instagram says he's fighting to save his beloved pet for a second time after the rodent was seized by New York authorities bent on euthanasia. Mark Longo says he rescued the squirrel named Peanut (also spelled P'Nut or PNUT) as a kit seven years ago after his mother was struck and killed by a car. He's been "my best friend" and "the center of my world," Longo writes on Instagram, adding, "To the group of people who called DEC, there's a special place in hell for you." He tells CNN that officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation turned up at his Elmira home on Wednesday and took Peanut away.
They didn't have a warrant and treated Longo "as if I was a drug dealer," the 34-year-old tells CNN. The DEC confirmed officers seized Peanut, along with a pet raccoon named Fred, whom Longo took in a few months ago, per CNN and the New York Post. The agency said it had received "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets." It didn't say what would happen to the animals, but Longo claims authorities intend to euthanize both. As of Thursday, he wasn't even sure if Peanut was still alive. More than 25,000 people have signed a petition demanding the squirrel be returned home.
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Longo says he knows it's against state law to own a wild animal without a license, but he notes that he'd been in the process of getting Peanut certified as an educational animal. "If we're not following the rules, guide us in the right direction to follow the rules," he tells CNN. He says he tried releasing Peanut back into the wild after several months of care, only to have the squirrel return with an injury, at which point he decided the rodent lacked the skills to survive on his own. He moved from Connecticut to New York last year to open an animal rescue, P'Nuts Freedom Farm, which now cares for 350 animals. As "we've relied heavily on PNUT and his internet family to father donations," the rescue's future is now in limbo, he says, per the Post. (More New York stories.)
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