Peanut, the pet squirrel taken by New York state officials from foster homes, may be euthanized

A beloved pet squirrel with thousands of adoring fans on social media has been taken away by state officials and may be euthanized, according to its owner.

Peanut, or P’Nut, the squirrel has over 500,000 followers on Instagram and is a beloved mascot of P’Nut’s Freedom Farm, a 501c3 animal rescue based in New York State.

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In a post shared on Instagram on Oct. 30, his family shared “there’s a special place in hell” for the people who called the New York Department of Conservation on little Peanut, now seven years old.

“NY State DEC showed up to my house and took Peanut,” the post reads. “He was taken to EUTHANIZED. I am in shock, disbelief and disgusted at the people who did this to PNUT. For the past 7 years Peanut has been my best friend. He has been the center of my world and many of your so long I don’t know how to process this emotionally.”

Peanut or P’Nut the squirrel has 532,000 followers on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)

Peanut was discovered by his family, Mark Longo, when he was five weeks old after his mother was hit by an oncoming vehicle. He was then lovingly nursed back to health and would not return to the wild once released.

In the years since, Peanut and Mark have charmed the internet with videos of home life, silly antics and enjoying various meals together. They then expanded to continue working with an animal rescue in Peanut’s name.

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“Last year we moved to NY in hopes of starting a NONPROFIT animal rescue in the name of PNUT,” the Instagram post read. “@pnuts_freedom_farm will forever live in PNUT’s memory. With over 350 rescues we have relied heavily on PNUT and his internet family to collect donations to help more animals. I don’t even know how we will continue to raise money for this nonprofit.”

Donations are currently being accepted on a GoFundMe for P’Nut’s Freedom Farm in light of recent news about the beloved squirrel’s potential euthanasia at the hands of state officials.

Peanut was rescued at 5 weeks old by his adoptive parents after his mother was run over by a car. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)

“Following multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets, the DEC conducted an investigation,” read a statement the New York DEC shared with Fox News Digital. “DEC’s investigation is ongoing and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Peanut’s adoptive father, Mark Longo, wrote, “this has been a complete shock to not only my family, but the entire Peanuts community. Me and my wife were treated like criminals while multiple cops raided my house .”

Peanut the squirrel enjoys some peanuts in this photo shared on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)

“I was unable to use the bathroom without a police escort who INSPECTED my bathroom before I used it. Remember this was a SEARCH WARRANT signed by a judge to look for a squirrel and a raccoon. I wasn’t even allowed .to feed our rescue horses, most of them are neglected cases and already have severe weight loss,” Longo continued.

“Something is not right here and I want answers why it took 8+ DEC officers from ALBANY to come tear my home apart. My home looks like they were looking for drugs or something, not just 2 harmless animals”, Longo concluded.

ONE petition on Change.org in support of Peanut’s safe return currently has just under 20,000 signatures. It is against the law in New York to own a wild animal without a license.

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It is unclear if Peanut has been euthanized yet; an October 31 video claims his family did not know this information at the time.