Rescued animal research: Instagram-famous squirrel named Peanut was seized by New York state authorities

NEW YORK — A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star named Peanut is pleading with state authorities after seizing his beloved pet during a raid that also revealed a raccoon named Fred.

Multiple 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.

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

Officers left with Peanut, who had amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms during his seven years with Longo. They also took Fred, a new addition to the family.

A DEC spokesperson said in a statement that the agency launched an investigation after receiving “numerous reports from the public about potentially unsafe harboring of wild animals that may carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wild animals as pets.”

Longo, who runs an animal sanctuary inspired by his squirrel friend called P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, took to Instagram to mourn the loss of Peanut.

“Well, internet, YOU WIN,” Longo said. “You took one of the most magnificent animals from me because of your selfishness. There’s a special place in hell for you, a group of people looking for the DEC.”

Longo fears Peanut has been euthanized. “I don’t know if Peanut is alive or not,” he said in a phone interview Thursday. “I don’t know where he is.”

A DEC spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether Peanut was euthanized.

Longo said he saw Peanut’s mother hit by a car in New York seven years ago, leaving the little squirrel orphaned. Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before trying to release the squirrel into the wild. “A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch, missing half of his tail and the bone sticking out,” Longo said.

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

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

A look at Peanut’s Instagram account shows that this is no ordinary squirrel. Peanut jumps on Longo’s shoulder, wears a miniature cowboy hat, eats waffles while wearing crocheted bunny ears.

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

Longo, who works as a mechanical engineer, lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, until last year when he decided to move to upstate New York to start an animal sanctuary.

P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary opened in April 2023 and is currently home to 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 owning a wild animal without a license is against New York state law. He said he is in the process of filling out paperwork to certify Peanut as an educational animal.

“If we’re not following the rules, point us in the right direction to follow the rules, you know?” Longo said. “Let us know what we need to do so Peanut is home and we don’t have to worry about him being kidnapped.”

As for Fred, Longo said he has only had the raccoon for a few months and hopes to rehabilitate the injured creature and release it back into the woods.

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-pound (340 kilograms) reptile back.