Peanut the Instagram-famous squirrel is seized by New York officials | Animal

A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star named Peanut is pleading with state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized it during a raid that also yielded a raccoon named Fred.

Several anonymous complaints about Peanut — also spelled P’Nut or PNUT — brought at least six officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to Mark Longo’s home Wednesday, Longo said.

“DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!” said Longo of Pine City. “I was treated like I was a drug dealer and they went after drugs and guns.”

The officers left with Peanut, who has gathered hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms during his seven years with Longo. They also took Fred, a recent addition to the family.

By Thursday night, Longo had collected nearly 20,000 signatures calling for the return of Peanut, and says he has hired a legal team to get Peanut back.

A DEC spokesman said in a statement that the agency had launched an investigation after receiving “several reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”

Longo, who runs an animal sanctuary inspired by his squirrel pal called P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, took to Instagram to mourn Peanut’s loss, saying he fears Peanut has been euthanized. “I don’t know if Peanut is alive,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. “I don’t know where he is.”

The DEC spokesman did not respond to a question about whether Peanut had been euthanized.

Longo said he adopted Peanut seven years ago after seeing Peanut’s mother get hit by a car in New York City. Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before attempting to release the squirrel. “A day and a half later I found him sitting on my front porch missing half of his tail with his bone sticking out,” Longo said.

Longo decided that Peanut lacked the survival skills to live in the wild and would remain an indoor squirrel.

Internet fame followed after Longo posted videos of Peanut playing with his cat.

An Instagram account dedicated to Peanut shows the animal bouncing on Longo’s shoulder, wearing a miniature cowboy hat and eating a waffle while wearing crocheted bunny ears.

Over the years, Peanut’s story has been featured on television and newspapers, including USA Today.

Longo, who works as a mechanical engineer, lived in Norwalk, Conn., until he decided to move to New York state last year to start an animal sanctuary. P’Nut’s Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary opened in April 2023 and now houses about 300 animals, including horses, goats and alpacas, said Longo, who runs the sanctuary with his wife, Daniela, and other family members.

Longo is aware that it is against New York State law to own a wild animal without a license. He said he was in the process of submitting paperwork to get Peanut certified as an educational animal.

“If we don’t follow the rules, lead us in the right direction to follow the rules, you know?” Longo said. “Let us know what to do to have Peanut in the house and not have to worry about him being taken.”

As for Fred, Longo said he had only had the raccoon for a few months and was hoping to rehabilitate the injured creature and release him back into the wild.

Longo is not the first pet owner to protest New York authorities confiscating a pet. A Buffalo-area man whose alligator was seized by the DEC in March is suing the agency to get the 750 lb (340 kg) reptile back.