Peanut, an Instagram-famous pet squirrel owned by Mark Longo, has become the center of a contentious legal and political saga following the animal’s euthanization by New York State environmental officers.
Peanut, who had over 500,000 Instagram followers and frequently appeared in photos wearing a tiny cowboy hat or enjoying treats like waffles, was euthanized after an officer was bitten during a search of Longo’s home, sparking fears of rabies exposure.
However, it was revealed on Tuesday that neither Peanut nor a raccoon named Fred—also euthanized—had rabies, according to test results shared by Chemung County officials.
Chemung County Executive Chris Moss, presenting certificates of the animals’ negative rabies tests at a news conference, defended the officers’ actions as necessary protocol, citing the serious risk rabies poses to humans.
“I realize people want to vent,” Moss said, acknowledging public frustration, “but at the end of the day, I think you have to realize the seriousness of humans contracting rabies.” Nonetheless, Moss suggested the county could explore alternatives in future cases, potentially waiting longer before taking drastic measures with unauthorized animals.
For Longo, Peanut’s euthanization has stirred deep outrage and a sense of betrayal. “It was a 10-month investigation for a squirrel and a racoon. We have murderers and rapists running the streets and they didn’t get investigations like this,” he said, adding that he had not received any personal notification about the animals’ fate or the rabies test results.
“These people don’t have the stones to give me a call to say ‘Hey, I killed your animals, also I cut their heads off, also Peanut doesn’t have rabies,’ like we all knew at the beginning of this story,” he stated passionately.
Longo, who originally found Peanut in New York City after witnessing its mother hit by a car, had cared for the squirrel for seven years. After attempting to release the squirrel, only to find it injured and back at his doorstep, Longo decided to keep Peanut permanently. His posts documenting the squirrel’s antics attracted a large following, which has now swelled to over 900,000.
The case has stirred public controversy, reaching into political discussions. Some commentators criticized the seizure as government overreach, particularly given Longo’s long, benign care of Peanut.
Vice president-elect J.D. Vance even referenced the case at a rally, claiming that “the same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country doesn’t want us to have pets.” As a result, the public furor around the case grew intense, leading to threats directed at the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) officers involved.
The DEC union clarified that officers only followed protocol and did not decide the animals’ fate, while Moss suggested it was unfair to place blame on either the DEC or county health department. Nonetheless, Longo is set to pursue legal action.
“Absolutely, we are filing a very big lawsuit,” he said, arguing that his rights had been violated and demanding accountability for what he called “the murder” of his beloved animals.
As the case heads to court, the story of Peanut the squirrel—a beloved pet, an internet icon, and now a flashpoint of political and legal debate—continues to capture widespread attention, sparking conversations on government oversight, pet ownership, and the rights of animal caretakers.
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More so, a meme token inspired by the story of Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT) has seen a massive price surge, reaching $1.6 recently, marking a gain of over 280% in the past 24 hours just after the negative test confirmation.
The token, created on Solana, initially gained traction when Peanut’s story went viral, drawing in supporters and meme enthusiasts who fueled its value increase. Also, Musk’s support amplified this trend, propelling the token’s market cap to over $120 million with high trading volumes across exchanges.