The internet-famous pet squirrel has been seized

The caretaker of a rescued squirrel who has drawn half a million fans on Instagram says he is fighting to save his beloved pet for a second time after the rodent was seized by New York authorities who were set to euthanize him. Mark Longo says he rescued the squirrel named Peanut (also spelled P’Nut or PNUT) as a kit seven years ago after his mother was hit and killed by a car. He has been “my best friend” and “the center of my world,” Longo writes on Instagram, adding: “To the group of people who called the DEC, there is a special place in hell for you.” He tells CNN that officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation showed up at his Elmira home Wednesday and took Peanut away.

They didn’t have a warrant and treated Longo “like I was a drug dealer,” the 34-year-old told CNN. The DEC confirmed that officers seized Peanut along with a raccoon named Fred that Longo took in a few months ago, according to CNN and New York Post. The agency said it had received “several reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.” It did not say what would happen to the animals, but Longo claims authorities intend to euthanize both. As of Thursday, he wasn’t even sure if Peanut was still alive. More than 25,000 people have signed a petition demands the squirrel taken home.

Longo says he knows it’s against state law to own a wild animal without a license, but he had been in the process of getting Peanut certified as a training animal. “If we’re not following the rules, lead us in the right direction to follow the rules,” he told CNN. He says he tried to release Peanut back into the wild after months of care, only to have the squirrel return with an injury, after which he decided the rodent lacked the skills to survive on its own. He moved from Connecticut to New York last year to open an animal rescue, P’Nuts Freedom Farm, which now cares for 350 animals. Since “we have relied heavily on PNUT and his internet family for paternal donations,” the rescue’s future is now in limbo, he says according to Post. (More New York stories.)