Peanut the Squirrel seized, removed from New York home

Editor’s Note: Peanut the Squirrel has been euthanized. Please click here for the latest updates on this story.

A wild animal turned social media star was confiscated from his New York residence this week, and fans are working to get him back home.

Peanut the Squirrel, who boasts 534,000 followers on Instagram, 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 pet of content creator Mark Longo. In more than 1,400 posts shared to Instagram, Peanut can be seen munching on waffles, jumping through hula-hoops, and greeting Longo home from work.

According to a statement provided by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health, the former seized a squirrel (Peanut) and raccoon from a residence.

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

“Well internet, you won,” Longo wrote in the post. “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 illegal keeping of wildlife as pets, DEC conducted an investigation. DEC’s investigation is ongoing and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

According to the joint

In response to Peanut’s seizure, a petition was created on Change.org, 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 video 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 GoFundMe campaign 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 Instagram 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 video. 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 USA TODAY reporting. 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, bawling my eyes out, like, I failed you as your human,” Longo told USA TODAY 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 P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in Pine City. The nonprofit serves as a “haven where neglected and homeless animals receive a second chance at life,” according to its website. 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 website.

Embedded content: https://www.instagram.com/p/DABJuggOQ3U/

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 New York Department of Environmental Conservation states that it is illegal for young wildlife to be kept as pets.

“Inappropriate care given to young wildlife often results in abnormal attachment to humans,” the Department of Environmental Conservation 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 “are the only people legally allowed to receive and treat distressed wildlife.” The goal of rehabilitators is to safely release the animal, when healthy, back into the wild.

This story has been updated to correct a grammatical error.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.