The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( DEC ) and the Chemung County Department of Health euthanized Peanut the Squirrel two days after being removed from his Pine City, New York, home. Peanut was a favorite animal of glad father Mark Longo and has 534, 000 Instagram fans.
Raccoon and Peanut were both found inside a house on Wednesday and put to sleep to prevent influenza, according to officials who made the announcement on Friday. According to the speech, a person involved in the investigation into the forfeiture was bitten by the cat.
Peanut, or” PNUT”, was rescued seven years ago by Longo, after Peanut’s mother was killed by a car. Longo, who could n’t find a shelter to take him in, raised Peanut from infancy, and the squirrel later became a social media sensation.
Longo showcased Peanut’s whole living on social media with 1, 400 Instagram content, showing him eating pancakes, jumping through hula-hoops, and bonding with Longo and his cat, Chloe.
In response to Peanut’s forfeiture, viewers created a Change. nonprofit petition and GoFundMe plan, gathering over 28, 000 names and raising almost$ 8, 000 to support efforts to bring him home. The DEC complied with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) guidelines that forbid euthanasia for rabies testing, which involves examining brain tissue. There are no accepted procedures for hepatitis testing on live animals.
Delegates from DEC made a public service announcement stating that keeping wild animals as pets is prohibited because of how frequently younger, domesticated animals may become abnormally attached, making reintroduced into the wild challenging and dangerous. They advise getting in touch with qualified animals rehabilitationists if you have any injured or abandoned animals.
Longo, devastated by Peanut’s damage, shared improvements on Peanut’s Instagram accounts, calling the knowledge a “terrible problem”. In addition to Peanut, Longo runs P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in Pine City, where he cares for ignored species, including horses, cattle, alpacas, and a pig.
Due to potential hepatitis exposure, the DEC and the health ministry advised anyone who had a phone with Peanut or the squirrel to see a doctor.
