Peanut the Instagram Famous Squirrel was Taken by NYC Authorities

Question

New York authorities raided Peanut the Squirrels home after complaints from neighbors. Peanut was taken from his owner along with his brother Fred the Raccoon.

Answer 1

Sadly, this piece of news is true. Mark Longo, the owner of Peanut, shared on social media that his squirrel was taken by authorities. Following anonymous complaints regarding unsafe and illegal wildlife keeping, the NYPD raided Longo's home and euthanized Peanut (along with his pet raccoon) for rabies testing. According to the DEC and the Chemung County Health Department, Peanut and Longo's raccoon were euthanized to facilitate testing for rabies and other diseases following an incident where Peanut bit an individual involved in the investigation.

Comments

The addition of the DEC's comment on this event is helpful when getting a full idea of the issue here. It would be great if you could link the site that you got that comment from specifically next time! This is so sad :(

Answer 2

Unfortunatly Peanut the squirrel was not taken by the NYC authorities, he was euthanized. The iconic pet was euthanized after being confiniscated following a house raid in their pine city house. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Department of Health the squirrel was removed due to suspected rabies, and in the process bit someone. Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/11/04/peanut-the-squirrel-mark-longo-new-york-euthanized-pet/76043660007/ The reason why the house was raided was due to "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and illegal keeping of wildlife as pets,". https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/dec-investigates-raid-led-death-peanut-squirrel-19900975.php Their is now an ongoing iThe state Department of Environmental Conservation

Comments

You make a great point about balancing emotional attachment with public safety. The concern over rabies is serious, and wild animals can be unpredictable. It’s understandable people are upset, but the potential health risks can’t be ignored. I also love how you suggested exploring alternatives to euthanasia—your thoughtful approach really helps bring clarity to a complex issue.

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Hello, I believe that Peanut the squirrel was that Peanut the squirrel was seized by the NYPD and subsequently euthanized due to concerns about rabies after he bit one of the investigators looking into this case. I think this article supports my point: https://abc7chicago.com/post/peanut-squirrel-euthanized-mark-longo-took-orphaned-animal-says-surreal-new-york-officials-pet/15501990/