Who turned in the squirrel Knut? The grieving owners have their own theory – and it’s a rich one.

Someone turned in the squirrel that was kicked, and its upstate owners believe it was out of jealousy.

Mark and Daniela Longo told The Post on Sunday that they cashed in on their furry internet sensation, who helped direct followers to their raunchy OnlyFans page before he was snatched from their animal shelter and euthanized by state environmental officials over rabies concerns last week.

According to them, the couple’s financial success, caused at least in part by P’nut, was enough to make anyone throw a dime at them – and their bushy-tailed cash cow.

“Some people might think I’m using this place to make a lot of money,” Mark said of his rescue farm.

“Has this done wonders for my OnlyFans?” Mark told about the place where P’nut frolicked with other animals. “Absolutely. There’s a lot of money to be made from this.”

The Longo family said they bought a 350-acre property near Elmira with $800,000 they made in a month by posting their porn online, and then P’Nut began to build his profile with his separate family-oriented fan base.

P'Nut the squirrel was an internet sensation before DEC officers raided his upstate home and euthanized him. Instagram — P’Nut the squirrel was an internet sensation before DEC officers raided his upstate home and euthanized him. Instagram

“I had my own squirrel dad style account, my own Instagram,” Mark Longo said. “And this is me training, and often, you know, I don’t have time to create (double) content like I used to.

“I just tagged my squirrel daddy account in the peanut video I posted so it would get double the views,” he said. “Every now and then there’s a shirtless photo (on P’nut’s page too), but I’ve completely separated myself from all that. Apparently people were going to find both and try to link them.”

The Longo family made headlines after the state Department of Environmental Conservation raided their upstateLiberty Farm P’Nuts, and grabbed their cute furry pet and his raccoon pal named Fred – with both animals euthanized due to rabies fears because they had been in close contact with people.

The couple are widely seen as victims of state government abuses, but they have become local heroes.

Mark Longo said he believes jealousy caused someone to call DEC about P'nut, who was a cash cow for him. AP — Mark Longo said he believes jealousy caused someone to call DEC about P’nut, who was a cash cow for him. AP

Daniela Longo poses with Fred the raccoon, who was also captured by the state and euthanized.

“This morning at the supermarket I wanted to pick up a few extra copies of the Post to keep,” Longo said, referring to the Sunday newspaper with the front-page headline “Bush Hits.”

“When I walked in, (people) recognized my face because I was on the cover of the newspaper. And they just smiled and nodded.

“Last night my wife and I went out to dinner. We were having dinner and the couple next to us looked over and said, ‘We’re so sorry for what happened and we want you to know you have our full support,'” he added. “Everyone just noticed and then told us that you know they’re sorry about what happened to P’nut.”

The squirrel’s death sparked such outrage that it prompted a state legislator to propose a bill to improve animal rights laws, calling it the “Peanuts Act: The Humane Animal Protection Act.”

“What happened to P’nut was a tragedy,” State Assemblyman Jake Blumenkrantz said on X. “As a state legislator and animal rights advocate, this tragedy can be a force for change.”

Mark and Daniela Longo say they made $800,000 in one month from their racy OnlyFans page—enough to buy a 350-acre animal sanctuary in upstate New York. Instagram @peanut_the_squirrel12

Pnut's death has led to calls from politicians across the country for government overreach. AP — Pnut’s death has led to calls from politicians across the country for government overreach. AP

The measure would require a 72-hour waiting period before a shelter animal can be euthanized and would create an appeals system while giving animal shelters the “right to humane due process.”

Pnut’s death caused a negative reaction among other politicians.

A press secretary for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is reportedly planning to run for mayor of New York, trolled Gov. Kathy Hochul on X about her administration’s treatment of P’nut.

“When no one objects to a store and government agencies are allowed to act with impunity, this is how things like this happen,” wrote spokesman Rich Azzopardi. “This situation had to land on someone’s desk in
@GovKathyHochul’s office and someone with brains should have intervened.

“#Justice4Peanut”

Assemblyman Jake Blumenkrantz said Pnut's death could be an — Assemblyman Jake Blumenkrantz said Pnut’s death could be an “agent of change.” Facebook

Upstate GOP Rep. Mark Molinaro wrote online: “As a pet owner, I sympathize with Longo and call on Gov. (Kathy) Want to issue a formal apology for their ridiculous abuses.”

A gofundme.com page dedicated to P’nut has raised more than $132,000.

Neither Hochul’s office nor the OIC responded to The Post’s requests for comment Sunday.