PINE CITY, NY (WETM) — A popular Elmira-area squirrel that inspired its owner to start an animal sanctuary was impounded by the DEC Wednesday morning.

According to an Instagram post by Peanut the Squirrel account Officers from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation came to take Peanut (also known as P’Nut) from his owner around 10am on October 30th. The post says DEC seized the squirrel to be euthanized after people called the department with complaints.

18 News contacted the DEC Wednesday afternoon, and a representative confirmed that officers took the squirrel. The representative said they could not provide any further information and that a public information officer would contact 18 News for more information. 18 News was awaiting a call back from DEC at the time of publishing this story.

Original story: P’Nut who started an animal sanctuary

An 18 News reporter spoke with Peanut’s owner Mark Longo about the seizure. According to Longo, the DEC served a search warrant on his home Wednesday morning and searched his home for five hours while Longo and his wife sat outside. DEC officers took Peanut and a raccoon named Fred away from home.

Longo provided 18 News with the search warrant he was executed for at his home in Pine City. According to the warrant, officers were authorized to search the entire property and seize an “unlawfully possessed” gray squirrel, a raccoon and any other illegally possessed wildlife.

Longo adopted Peanut after seeing the squirrel’s mother get hit by a car. Longo rehabilitated Peanut and kept him as a pet after he was deemed unreleasable. Longo has owned the squirrel for seven years, and his social media accounts dedicated to Peanut have developed a huge following. Peanut the Squirrel currently has over 532,000 followers on Instagram and A squirrel named Peanut has over 423,000 followers on Facebook.

Longo, who is originally from Connecticut, moved to the area in 2023 to start an animal sanctuary. He called the sanctuary P’Nut’s Freedom Farm after his squirrel companion. Longo told 18 News that he is currently going through the legal process to obtain the rescue certificate as an animal sanctuary. The post announcing Peanut’s seizure states that the squirrel’s Internet presence has helped Longo raise funds for his animal rescue nonprofit.

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