Beloved pet squirrel Peanut seized by New York state after 7 years in home - There is no political solution. You are shooting your way out of this

Beloved pet squirrel Peanut seized by New York state after 7 years in home​

Published Oct. 30, 2024, 10:06 p.m. ET by Shane Galvin
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A rescued pet squirrel that sat atop a social media and charity empire has been seized by New York state — with its owner saying it’s slated to be euthanized, according to an Instagram post.

Peanut the Squirrel was taken from his Elmira, NY, home Wednesday by officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation, who served a warrant to Peanut’s guardians after receiving complaints of “unlawfully possessed” animals, according to the post.


“Well internet, you WON,” the caption from account Peanut_The_Squirrel12 reads. “You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC, there’s a special place in hell for you.”

A DEC spokesperson confirmed to The Post that officers took away Peanut the Squirrel and a pet raccoon.

The squirrel’s owner, Mark Longo, claimed that he was in “shock” and “disbelief” that DEC was going to allegedly euthanize his pet and friend, according to the social media post.

The DEC said that the animals were seized in coordination with Chemung County Health department “due to the presence of a rabis vector species (raccoon) in the home.”

The state agency did not comment on whether the animals will be euthanized.

Longo took in Peanut seven years ago, when he was just a kit, after seeing its mother get hit by a car, according to social media accounts.

Peanut boasts 532,000 followers on Instagram, more than 423,000 followers on Facebook, and over 2 million views on TikTok.



Longo, a Connecticut native, moved to Elmira in 2023 to start an animal sanctuary named P’Nut’s Freedom Farm, a 501.C.3 approved nonprofit.


“Last year we moved to NY in hopes of starting a NONPROFIT animal rescue in PNUT’s Name. [P’Nuts Freedom Farm] will forever live in PNUT’s memory,” Longo wrote in the post announcing Peanut’s seizure.


“With over 350 rescues, we’ve relied heavily on PNUT and his internet family to father donations to help more animals. I don’t even know how will [sic] continue to fundraise for this nonprofit.”


P’Nut’s Freedom Farm is an organization made up of veterinarians and caregivers who are dedicated to rescuing animals from abusive or dire situations, according to the group’s website.


Following the announcement of Peanut’s capture, Longo posted several phone numbers for the Department of Environmental Conservation onto his feed – asking supporters to call in protest against the government’s actions.

There is also a petition to return Peanut to his rightful home.


This is not the first time the DEC is in public relations hot water over confiscating a beloved pet.

Earlier this year, the department confiscated a 750-pound alligator from a Hamburg, NY, home, which was outfitted with a massive room and pool for the reptile’s comfort.

“Albert” the alligator had lived in his home for 34 years and was raised from a hatchling by guardian Tony Cavallaro, who is now suing the department to regain custody of his longtime friend.

 

[klarine]

The Rabies story is probably just a cover and it was put down because that's usually what happens to wild animals that are raised by humans and unable to be returned to the wild.

There are sanctuaries that can keep these animals if this was the major issue, there was 0 need to kill the squirrel.

You're going to have more people trying to keep the ones that are, like Deer with a potential for a brain prion disease hopping species

You'll only get a prion disease from a deer if you eat said deer. You want to outlaw hunting too while you are at it?

Even then, don't blast it on the Internet like a gangbanger ventilating a convenience store clerk.

This I can agree with


Double posted like a faggot but I felt I had to respond to some shit being said.

 

[i440BX]

Despite being staunchly anti-vegan, this makes me mad and I want those Government retards to be hold accountable for animal cruelty.

 

[not william stenchever]

Despite being staunchly anti-vegan, this makes me mad and I want those Government retards to be hold accountable for animal cruelty.

Vegans love euthanizing animals for no reason, so your anti-vegan stance is not in conflict here.

 

[MadDisaster]

Squirrels (and rodents in general) rarely, if ever, get rabies. It's something of a 0.4% chance, they just don't survive bites from rabid animals to transmit it in the first place.

The raccoon could indeed be a reservoir for rabies, theoretically it could have spread the disease to the squirrel, but if that was the problem they could have euthanised only the racoon to check before going for the squirrel.

I've done an internship at a wildlife hospital and not once did we ever worry about rodents having rabies. Stray dogs and cats have a much higher chance of transmiting it than squirrels, and we don't euthanize them on sight.

Totally agree - but these aren't rescues, or hospitals with sensible rules. Animals seized by the government like this are usually just euthanized to "check for rabies". The nuances don't really matter - they have very one size fits all responses and procedures. It's probably best if the nosy neighbors learn that as well - the animal isn't going to a rescue. It will be seized and euthanized pretty much by default.

 

[daniel day]

I bet the fat bitch that reported this guy has a shitbull named cupcake

 

[giga sapling]

Why do I get the distinct feeling this bitch was actually angry Peanut was more popular than her?

Mogged by a squirrel while looking like a thumb. Must be miserable.

Absolutely she was Jealous. Peanuts dad/owner is relatively tall, fit, and handsome. His wife/gf is skinny bad bitch with tattoos (not my thing, but women definitely get salty jealous over details like that), and they run a big farm with horses and rescue animals.

They were probably living Her Dream. And She's a nobody normie with 3 chins and 2 kids. She thought she could score a W acting like a Karen.

 

[Looney Troons]

Gonna be an unpopular opinion, but wild animals are not pets, just grabbing one out of the park is dumb. The Rabies story is probably just a cover and it was put down because that's usually what happens to wild animals that are raised by humans and unable to be returned to the wild.

Squirrel isn't a particularly offensive one, but if you normalize it, like every feckless thot putting a service vest on a Pomeranian and taking it into the grocery store. You're going to have more people trying to keep the ones that are, like Deer with a potential for a brain prion disease hopping species.

The other issue is they were advertising it. You want to do that, buy an exotic, don't steal an animal from the wild, get those to a center that can properly take care of them, Even then, don't blast it on the Internet like a gangbanger ventilating a convenience store clerk. No one is going to come kicking your door in cause you rescued a baby animal if you're not advertising it to the world.

The geese down in the park are in fact not free(unless they are non-native)

He rescued the squirrel and nursed it back to health. It was in his possession for seven years. By that point, it’s a member of the family that you’ve grown attached to.

It’s not like this guy had any malicious intent uploading videos of his squirrel and its antics. They made people happy. I really enjoyed watching the videos and I consider myself someone who is fairly stoney and difficult to please.

Worry more about the ‘feckless thots’ and their consequences. This was a guy who was wrongfully stripped of something he cared about.

Have a heart. It’s OK.

 

[Polyboros2]

There are sanctuaries that can keep these animals if this was the major issue, there was 0 need to kill the squirrel.

I agree, and it's possible the state was being dicks too, but those places are often full because there are a lot of dumb people that think the world works like Bambi.

You'll only get a prion disease from a deer if you eat said deer. You want to outlaw hunting too while you are at it?

I might be mixing up diseases, I've heard there is something there is big concern of jumping species from cohabitation, maybe chronic wasting? Also cooking usually protects you from disease and hunters tend not to take sickly animals or eat the brain.

 

[Illuminati Order Official]

This scum deleted most of her social media but this instagram.
View attachment 6591181

That's some ugly balding bitch with a massive fivehead. If you told me it's a troon I would believe you.

 

[Annealing Crater]

Gonna be an unpopular opinion, but wild animals are not pets

Where do you think pets came from?

 

[Preacher ✝]

RIP Peanut.

Poor Peanut.

There is no official Church doctrine as to whether or not there are animals in heaven, so I choose to believe Peanut is hanging out with Jesus right now.

 

[klarine]

I might be mixing up diseases, I've heard there is something there is big concern of jumping species from cohabitation, maybe chronic wasting? Also cooking usually protects you from disease and hunters tend not to take sickly animals or eat the brain.

Prions can sometimes jump species, but not from animal waste. You need to actually eat the animal to acquire it. Cooking doesn't protect people from prion diseases.

Read about the mad cow disease pandemic in england, its really interesting stuff. Jumped from sheep remains to cows and then to humans.

There are other non prion related diseases that can pass from wild animals to humans, but even dogs and cats can carry zoonosis, so if we ban certain pets based on that alone we wouldnt have any domestic animal at all.

 

[GunCar Gary]

unless they are non-native

native and non-native are made up concepts by commie boomers who are obsessed with controlling the world around them and playing god by preventing nature from evolving naturally

in true nature there are no native species. there is only

 

[Polyboros2]

Where do you think pets came from?

Domesticated species over thousands of years. A lot of wild animals are not able to be domesticated and keeping them happy and healthy in captivity is very difficult to impossible. I'm not saying these people don't care, but stealing an animal out of the wild and keeping it as a pet is very ignorant action. There are lots of animals that are horribly malnourished by people thinking with just their hearts, and want to treat it like a mutt from the pound. Injured wild animals should go to a wildlife center where they hopefully can be kept wild and returned to it.

Racoons are often a fucking menace because they are raised to not be afraid of humans and then dumped into your neighborhood. People getting famous doing this is going to encourage a bunch of people to think they can do the same and hurt animals for selfish reasons.

native and non-native are made up concepts by commie boomers who are obsessed with controlling the world around them and playing god by preventing nature from evolving naturally

in true nature there are no native species. there is only
View attachment 6591387

Non-native species are an absolute plague that can completely destroy ecosystems, closed borders aren't just for minorities.

 

[God's strongest milkman]

He didn't go down without bloodshed. That squirell had more of the human spirit in him than any vermin urbanite. Replace new York with acorn groves and build a heaven on the land of the devils. 20 thousand 9/11's until an equivalent loss is reached.

 

[Preacher ✝]

Just noticed this bit of the article:


Our boy Peanut did not go down without a fight.


Also, how is there not a way to test for rabies without killing the animals?

 

[Breadbassket]

Also, how is there not a way to test for rabies without killing the animals?

Not that I know of, there is apparently no test that can accurately diagnose it in a living animal.

 

[Preacher ✝]

Not that I know of, there is apparently no test that can accurately diagnose it in a living animal.

Why the fuck are we wasting time and research on bullshit like vegan sausage when we could be saving lives?

 

[PositiveHatred]

Reminder that the government will do the same thing to you as they did to Peanut the squirrel. Buy guns, stay armed. There is nothing the feds hate more

 

[Xarpho's Return]

This squirrel did literally nothing wrong. He wasn't helping himself to birdseed or chewing off the siding of the house. Of all the squirrels that are problems, the feds had to kill this one.

Reminder that the government will do the same thing to you as they did to Peanut the squirrel. Buy guns, stay armed. There is nothing the feds hate more

Yup. People who pointlessly kill animals are the types of people who will kill people. Today, it's a squirrel, tomorrow it's your child.