Social Media Star Peanut the Squirrel Euthanized by New York State, Owners Plan to Take Legal Action | Mark Longo, Peanut the Squirrel, TikTok | Just Jared: Celebrity News and Gossip

Peanut the Squirrel is making waves worldwide.

The beloved social media star, with over 619,000 followers on Instagram and 100,000 followers on TikTok alone, was sadly euthanized by New York state wildlife officials as part of a test for rabies, via CBS News.

Mark Longo, Peanut‘s owner, says that excessive force was used to seize the pet squirrel, as state wildlife officials said it was illegal to own Peanut.

“Peanut was the best thing that ever happened to us,” he emotionally stated in a recent social media post confirming the news.

The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed that they seized the squirrel earlier in the week, along with a pet raccoon named Fred.

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“On Oct. 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized,” the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health said in a statement.

“The animals are being tested for rabies and anyone who has been in contact with these animals is strongly encouraged to consult their physician.”

Mark said the raid on his home and farm, known as P’nuts Freedom Farm, took five hours.

“You need that many officers to show up to my house to literally pull my closets apart?” he said.

CBS notes that under state law, the only way to legally rescue squirrels is to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. To legally keep a domesticated wild animal, it has to be registered to be an educational animal.

“We were ready to comply, we were ready to get the paperwork, we were in the process of doing that. We needed a little bit of guidance from the DEC,” Mark said, adding he plans to take legal action over what he considered was excessive force from the raid.

“RIP MY BEST FRIEND. Thank you for the best 7 years of my life. Thank you for bringing so much joy to us and the world. I’m sorry I failed you but thank you for everything ❤️ Yall we desperately need your help. Help us raise the money to fight this and help @pnuts_freedom_farm continue to help animals like peanut,” he wrote online.

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