Peanut, an orphaned squirrel who had become a star on Instagram and other social media, was taken from his caretakers’ home by New York State authorities who decided to euthanize him – citing the health risk of rabies and urging everyone who had frequented the home to see a doctor. They also seized and euthanized another animal that lived in the home of Mark Longo and his partner, Fred the raccoon.
There could be no greater gulf of perception of this affair. On the one hand, health authorities who, following the rules and responding to anonymous complaints, on Wednesday raided the property in Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border. And on the other, the reactions of Mark Longo and Peanut’s followers, more than 500,000 on Instagram, where Longo emotionally chronicled the whole story. The squirrel had lived in the house for seven years and Longo called him “my best friend.”
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) issued a statement confirming the euthanasia and explaining that it had “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”, news that Peanut’s fans probably greeted with enthusiasm. “To test for rabies, both animals were euthanized.” The results have not been released.
After adopting Peanut, apparently as a newborn after his mother was run over by a car in New York City, Longo and his partner moved to a rural community where they created a sanctuary, @pnuts_freedom_farm, that holds more than three hundred animals, mostly horses and goats, funded by donations from Peanut’s followers. Now, the followers vow they won’t abandon Longo. In reels on Instagram, Peanut appears in multiple affectionate interactions with Longo, jumping on his shoulders, letting him put on miniature hats, performing stunts like jumping through a hoop.
“Despite our passionate outcry for compassion, the agency chose to ignore our pleas, leaving us in deep shock and grief,” Longo wrote. “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. Y’all we desperately need your help. Help us raise the money to fight this and help pnuts_freedom_farm continue to help animals like Peanut.” Longo vows that he will also use the money to open a lawsuit against DEC authorities.
Republican New York State Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz wrote to Governor Kathy Hochul and introduced “Peanut’s Law: Humane Animal Protection Act”, to protect, as he writes on Instagram, “sanctuary animals like them and ensure that this never happens again. We must protect every animal and animal sanctuary like @pnuts_freedom_farm“.
