The New York State Department of Environmental Protection euthanized social media star pet squirrel Peanut on Wednesday following a raid, the New York Post reported.
Mark Longo, who runs a popular Instagram account @peanut_the_squirrel12was treated like “terrorists” when 10 government agents entered his Penn City home in a five-hour raid, the New York Post reported. New York City authorities ultimately ended the lives of Peanut and Longo’s other pet, a raccoon named Fred, after Peanut reportedly bit an employee during the investigation, raising concerns of rabies.
owner of #peanut Squirrels are nuking New York government officials, accusing the state of abusing its power and wasting taxpayers’ money to trap and kill pets. Check out their full interview @TMZLive here: https://t.co/1rXzVTABx1 pic.twitter.com/rtHpBOl14x
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 1, 2024
“They treated me like I was a terrorist. They treated this raid like I was a drug dealer. They ransacked my house for five hours.” Longo, 34, told the outlet on Saturday.
“They asked my wife, who is of German descent, about her immigration status. They asked if there were cameras in my house,” he continued. “The police did not allow me to go to the toilet without a police escort. They looked behind the toilet to see if I was hiding anything in there.”
I really feel sorry for this person. The government came and took his squirrel “Peanut” and another pet raccoon that he had owned for seven years, and euthanized them both for no apparent reason.
“Peanut” was the mascot for his animal nonprofit and had more than one follower on social media. pic.twitter.com/5EfoOKqelE
— 🇺🇸↪️aptain Ⓜ️organ🇺🇸 (@CaptainMorganTN) November 2, 2024
According to the paper, Longo adopted the mother squirrel seven years ago after she was hit by a car. Longo reportedly cared for Peanut during his eight-month rehabilitation period, tried unsuccessfully to release Peanut back into the wild, and kept Peanut as a pet and socialized on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. He has decided to open a media page. (Related article: Squirrel leaves hundreds of nuts on unsuspecting man)
“We rehabilitated him for eight months and released him for a day and a half, but he ended up getting attacked. He never developed the instincts to survive outside,” Longo said. He told the New York Post.
On Saturday, Longo posted an image of an unconventional AI-generated pet with a halo above its head, linking it to a fundraiser with a goal of $250,000. The fundraiser, “Punat and the Call for Justice for NYSDEC Reform,” had raised more than $79,000 from 2,450 donations as of Sunday morning.
“Well, Internet, you win. Because of your selfishness, you robbed me of one of the most amazing animals,” Longo wrote in the fundraiser. “To those who called DEC, there is a special place in hell for you.”
Social media users, including billionaire Elon Musk and many elected officials, condemned the government’s killing of Longo’s pet squirrel. Users accused the New York state government of going after the man’s pet instead of fighting other issues in the state.
Official account of the House Judiciary Republican Party “Justice for Peanut” I wrote on X (previously known as Twitter).
peanut justice.
— House Judiciary Republican 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) November 2, 2024
“The state of New York broke into an innocent American’s home, stole Peanut, a pet squirrel, and then killed him. Too bad Peanut wasn’t an illegal alien, killing Americans every day. They should have been as welcome as illegal alien thugs!” Republican Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene I wrote “The Democratic government wants to control and destroy every aspect of people’s lives.”
New York State broke into an innocent American’s home, stole his pet squirrel Peanut, and then killed him.
Too bad Peanut wasn’t an illegal alien. Peanut would have been just as welcome as the illegal alien thugs who kill Americans every day.
Run by the Democratic Party… pic.twitter.com/RZeviNEFVX
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) November 2, 2024
Americans treated like shit by their government for decades: 🦗🦗🦗
Americans after government killed Peanut the squirrel: pic.twitter.com/ZROmNCmCeG
— Secret (@WarClandestine) November 2, 2024
Billionaire Elon Musk There’s a chime, He said it was “a fact” that the Democratic Party, a “party that tolerates crime,” is more concerned with euthanizing squirrels than with arresting robbers and drug dealers.
It’s actually true.
It’s worth noting that criminals overwhelmingly vote Democratic. Because the Democratic Party is a crime-friendly party.
The Democratic Party is literally the party of criminals! Just a statement of fact. https://t.co/NHAJrzQrh6
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2024
“If Mr. Trump got on stage and said he would average a squirrel’s peanuts, he would win by a landslide,” says journalist. ashley st clair Added.
Don’t forget Fred the raccoon. He was killed just like Peanut the squirrel 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/lKpZIuP3Ox
— Paula Wilson (@pwilsondtf) November 2, 2024
If Trump gets on stage and says he’s going to take revenge on Peanut the Squirrel, he’ll win by a landslide. pic.twitter.com/HOyZmtMQ7f
— Ashley St. Clair (@stclairashley) November 2, 2024
Rest in Peace, Peanut the Squirrel ❤
— Lex Fridman (@lexfridman) November 2, 2024
“Rest in Peace, Squirrel Peanut” Podcaster Alex Friedman I wrote.
