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Peanut Squirrel owner seeks answers, justice in euthanasia

Online Niel November 13, 2024

Mark Longo told USA TODAY how he’s been dealing with the sudden loss of his pet squirrel, a social media star whose euthanasia sparked a national outcry.

Handwritten books, trinkets and paintings bearing squirrels and raccoons fill the floor of a bedroom in Mark Longo’s house in New York.

Just two weeks ago, the bedroom belonged to him Peanut the Squirrela wild animal turned social media star who was seized from Longo’s residence by New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on Oct. 30 and euthanized to test for rabies the same day. Fred the raccoon was also captured from Longo’s apartment and euthanized.

The case has sparked a national outcry as Longo grieves his furry family.

“Losing Peanut and Fred was a travesty, and it’s going to be hard to live in this house for a while,” Longo told USA TODAY on Tuesday. “Getting justice for these animals, and getting justice for animals in the future, is a big priority for us right now.”

As the case continues to stir, draw outrage, and officials take turns pointing the finger at one another about what happened, USA TODAY looks at the timeline of events and the latest developments.

Peanut and Fred’s seizure timeline dates back to mid-October.

Public complaints

Between Oct. 19 and 23, the Chemung County Health Department and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation received four complaints about Longo housing a raccoon and a squirrel without the proper license, according to a county news release.

The health department has informed the conservation department that if a human has been exposed to one of the animals, such as a bite, the animals must be tested for rabies.

A few days before the conservation department visited Longo’s residence in Pine City, New York, Longo received two phone calls about Peanut and Fred. He was told that keeping animals was not an option, not having the necessary license. Longo did not respond to a request for clarification on who made those calls.

seizures

On Oct. 30, nine conservation officers went to Longo’s home and spent about five hours “scrutinizing it,” Longo said, adding that he and his wife were detained during the searches, his wife’s immigration status was questioned, and the home was checked. for rooms. (Longo’s wife, Daniela, is a German immigrant.)

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation did not respond to USA TODAY’s request for information about what happened at the Longo household.

Euthanasia

The Chemung County Health Department was notified that the squirrel and raccoon captured from the Longos’ home were euthanized Oct. 30 at Elmira Animal Control to test for rabies, according to the county.

The results of the rabies tests have not been released publicly.

Who requested euthanasia?

Which agency requested the euthanasia of Peanut and Fred remains unclear.

Rabies reports provided to USA TODAY by the Chemung County Executive indicate that decapitation of the animals, required to conduct a rabies test, was completed by the “city.”

“I think it’s important to point out that euthanasia orders are almost always completed at the request of either the exposed person or an agency conducting an animal investigation,” Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss said in a statement .

However, the Police Benevolent Association of New York State, the union that represents the conservation department, said that two animals were turned over alive to the Chemung County Health Department. The health department decided to euthanize the animals, the union said.

USA TODAY reached out to all agencies for clarification on who requested the euthanasia, but they did not immediately respond Tuesday.

Is it legal to have a squirrel as a pet?

In New York, squirrels are not allowed as pets. If a found squirrel needs help, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator should be contacted.

Longo said he and his wife received them Wildlife Rehabilitation Licensesreleased by the Department of Conservation in August. The license, according to department“authorizes a resident of New York to rehabilitate or care for injured or orphaned wild animals for return to the wild.” The license does not allow long-term keeping of animals.

Longo said he was told he and his wife needed a different type of “education certificate” to keep Peanut in their home.

Who was Peanut the Squirrel?

Peanut was a rescue squirrel who lived in Longo’s care for seven years. Longo found Peanut as a baby squirrel in the middle of a busy Manhattan street.

After eight months of rehabilitation, Longo attempted to release Peanut back into the wild. A day and a half later, Peanut returned. He was attacked and suffered injuries to his tail. From that point forward, Peanut was an indoor squirrel.

“One day we happened to post a video of Peanut jumping at me and it went viral. Then after that, he gained traction pretty quickly,” Longo reflected. “It was a snowball effect in a positive way. And then, finally, he was considered the most famous squirrel in the world.”

Riding the wave of Peanut’s popularity, Longos established himself P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in April 2023. The nonprofit animal sanctuary is located on their 200-acre property in Pine City. Although he couldn’t put his finger on an exact number, Longo guessed that up to 400 animals live on the farm.

Longo said the animal sanctuary costs $20,000 to $25,000 a month to operate, and about 50 percent of those funds have been raised through Peanut’s social media accounts. The rest of the funds, Longo said, came from Longo’s social media management company.

And who was Fred?

Perhaps less recognized, Fred the raccoon was dropped off at P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary about five months ago by a neighbor, Longo said.

“We wanted him to get strong and old enough to go back into the wild. He wasn’t going to be a pet that stayed here,” Longo said. “He wasn’t going to be an Instagram or TikTok famous raccoon. It was just an opportunity for us to give this guy a little care and then release him into the 200 acres of forest.”

Keeping the spotlight on Peanut

Longo appears in most of Peanut’s videos, whether it’s holding out an arm for Peanut to jump on or feeding him a waffle. But especially in recent weeks, Longo said he likes to focus on Peanut.

“If Peanut could pay the bills and if he could talk, I would have been fired the first day,” Longo said with a laugh. “As it gained traction, people started to notice me a little bit more, but again, it wasn’t like, ‘I’m getting famous’… People had started calling me squirrel dad. As people came (and said, “You’re doing this for influence.” (I said) “Let somebody call you daddy squirrel to your face and see how much power you really have.”

Jeff Murray of the Elmira Star-Gazette contributed to this report.

Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email them at [email protected].

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Peanut Squirrel owner seeks answers, justice in euthanasia

Mark Longo told USA TODAY how he’s been dealing with the sudden loss of his pet squirrel, a social media star whose euthanasia sparked a national outcry.