Peanut the Squirrel, social media star, seized from New York home leaving owner, fans upset

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Peanut the Squirrel, social media star, seized from New York home leaving owner, fans upset

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was confiscated from his New York residence this week, and fans are working to get him back home.

Peanut the Squirrel, who boasts

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, was taken 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 **** of content creator Mark Longo. In more than 1,400 posts shared to

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, Peanut can be seen munching on waffles, jumping through hula-hoops, and

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.

In a

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made to

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to Wednesday, featuring a photo of Peanut sporting a cowboy hat, Longo shared the news.

“Well internet, you won,” Longo wrote in the

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. “You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. Today at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, the NY state DEC showed up to my house and took Peanut. He was taken to (be) euthanized. I’m in shock, disbelief and disgusted to the people who did this to PNUT. For the last seven years, Peanut has been my best friend. He’s been the center of my world and many of yours for so long. I don’t know how to process this emotionally.”

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‘This is madness’: Fans of Peanut the Squirrel upset over his removal

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation provided the following statement to USA TODAY about the seizure:

“Following multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the ******** 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

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, 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 look into this situation and stop this. This is madness,” a petitioner said in a

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shared to the campaign. “Please give the guy his squirrel back. That little animal has brought so much love and so much joy to so many people in such a dark time in human history. This is wrong.”

In addition to the petition, a

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was started to raise funds “to cover legal fees for attorneys who will assist us in addressing the damage caused and ensuring Peanut’s return to his loving home.” $6,510 had been raised, as of Friday morning.

In a post made to

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on Thursday, Longo shared a video providing an update and thanking Peanut fans.

“We have the understanding that the DEC will not tell us whether or not Peanut is alive or not,” Longo said in the

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. I can’t give you a definitive answer of whether or not he’s still here with us. I hope we have an opportunity to take him back and continue this journey.”

Who is Peanut the Squirrel?

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

Longo first connected with Peanut when he saw the squirrel’s mom get hit by a car, per previous

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. Unfortunately, the mother passed, leaving Peanut an orphan. Longo was unsuccessful in finding a shelter that would take him in. Longo ended up feeding baby Peanut for about eight months before attempting to release him back into the wild.

“I released him in the backyard, and a day and a half later, I found him sitting on my porch, missing half his tail. So here I am, balling my eyes out, like, I ******* you as your human,” Longo told

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in 2022. “And I kind of opened the door, he ran inside 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 established

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in Pine City. The nonprofit serves as a “haven where neglected and homeless animals receive a second chance at life,” according to its

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. To date, 18 horses, one mini horse, four cows, three alpacas, one parrot, one pig and two geese call the sanctuary home, according to its

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.

Embedded content:

USA TODAY contacted Longo but was unsuccessful in connecting with him for an interview.

Is it legal for squirrels to be kept as pets in NY?

The

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states that it is ******** for young wildlife to be kept as pets.

“Inappropriate care given to young wildlife often results in abnormal attachment to humans,” the

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states. “After release, some return to places where people live, only to be attacked by domestic animals or to be hit by cars. Some become nuisances getting into stored food, trash cans or dwellings. And some may be thrust as unwelcome intruders into the home range of another member of their species.”

If an individual finds a young wild animal that is injured or orphaned, the department recommends making a call to a wildlife rehabilitator, who

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The goal of rehabilitators is to safely release the animal, when healthy, back into the wild.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and

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@gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at *****@*****.tld.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:

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#Peanut #Squirrel #social #media #star #seized #York #home #leaving #owner #fans #upset

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