Why did New York authorities capture Peanut, the squirrel who became a social media star? – First post

A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star named Peanut is begging state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized him during a raid that also turned up a raccoon named Fred.

Multiple anonymous complaints about Peanut (also spelled P’Nut or PNUT) led at least six state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers to Mark Longo’s home on Wednesday, Longo said.

“DEC came to my home and raided my home without a search warrant to find a squirrel!” said Longo, of Pine City. “They treated me like I was a drug dealer and they were going for drugs and guns.”

The officers left with Peanut, who had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers. on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms during his seven years at Longo. They also took Fred, a recent addition to the family, with them.

By Thursday evening, Longo had collected nearly 20,000 signatures calling for the return of Peanut and says he has hired a team of lawyers to bring Peanut back.

A DEC spokesperson said in a statement that the agency began the investigation after receiving “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe keeping of wild animals that may carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wild animals as pets.”

Longo, who runs an animal sanctuary inspired by his squirrel pal called P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, took to Instagram to mourn the loss of Peanut and said he feared Peanut was euthanized. “I don’t know if Peanut is alive,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. – I don’t know where he is.

A DEC spokesman did not respond to questions about whether Peanut was euthanized.

Longo said he adopted Peanut seven years ago after he saw Peanut’s mother get hit by a car in New York. Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before attempting to release the squirrel. “A day and a half later, I found him sitting on my porch with half his tail missing and a bone sticking out,” Longo said.

Longo decided that Peanut lacked the survival skills to live in the wild and would remain a house squirrel.

Internet fame followed after Longo posted a video of Peanut playing with his cat.

An Instagram account dedicated to Peanuts shows the animal jumping on Longo’s shoulder, wearing a miniature cowboy hat and eating a waffle with knitted bunny ears.

Over the years, the Peanuts story has been featured on television and in newspapers, including USA Today.

Longo, who works as a mechanical engineer, lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, until he decided to move to upstate New York last year to open an animal shelter. P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary opened in April 2023 and now houses about 300 animals, including horses, goats and alpacas, said Longo, who runs the sanctuary with his wife Daniela and other family members.

Longo knows that owning a wild animal without a license is against New York State law. He said he is in the process of applying to have Peanut certified as an educational animal.

“If we don’t follow the rules, point us in the right direction to follow the rules, you know?” – Longo said. “Let us know what we need to do to keep Peanut in the house and not worry about getting caught.”

As for Fred, Longo said he’s only had the raccoon for a few months and hopes to rehabilitate the injured creature and release it back into the woods.

Longo is not the first pet owner to protest the seizure of a pet by New York City authorities. A Buffalo-area man whose alligator was seized by DEC in March is suing the agency to get the 750-pound reptile back.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)