The Instagram-famous squirrel named Peanut seized by New York State authorities



AP

A New York man who was saved squirrel into a social media star named Peanut pleads with state authorities to return her 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 to Mark Longo’s home near the Pennsylvania border in rural Pine City on Wednesday, Longo said.

Mark Longo with his pet squirrel, Peanut.

“DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!” said Longo, who is 34. “I was treated like I was a drug dealer and they were going after drugs and guns.”

The officers left with Peanut, who amassed 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.

A DEC spokesman said in a statement that the agency began 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.

“Well internet, you WON,” Longo wrote. “You took one of the most amazing animals from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called the DEC, there is a special place in hell for you.”

Longo fears that 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 saw Peanut’s mother get hit by a car in New York City seven years ago, leaving the little squirrel an orphan. Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before attempting to release the squirrel into the wild. “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 determined that Peanut lacked the survival skills to live in the wild and would remain an indoor squirrel.

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

A scroll through Peanut’s Instagram account suggests that this is no ordinary squirrel. Peanut jumps on Longo’s shoulder, he wears a miniature cowboy hat, he eats 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 only had the raccoon for a few months and hoped to rehabilitate the injured creature and release him back into the wild.

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