'Treated As If I Was a Drug Dealer': An Instagram-Famous Pet With Over 500,000 Followers Has Been Seized By Wildlife Authorities Complaints about a squirrel named Peanut led to action by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
By David James
Key Takeaways
- A social media star squirrel named Peanut has been taken from its owner's home in New York.
- Officials say that it is illegal to keep wildlife as pets.
- An online petition is circulating to return the squirrel home.
New York resident Mark Longo, 34, had his rural home raided by officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation on Wednesday. Their target? Peanut, a social media star who also happens to be a squirrel. Officers also confiscated a raccoon named Fred from Longo's home.
"The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!" Longo told AP News. "I was treated as if I was a drug dealer and they were going for drugs and guns."
A spokesperson for the DEC said in a statement that the raid came after the agency received "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets."
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Seven years ago, Longo says he saw a squirrel get hit by a car in New York City and noticed Peanut, whom he presumed was now an orphan. Longo says he took Peanut home, nursed him for eight months, and then released him to the wild.
"A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch missing half of his tail with his bone sticking out," Longo told AP News.
He took the squirrel back in and started an Instagram account that has amassed 534K followers.
Following the raid, Longo addressed Peanut's fans on Instagram, explaining that he was unsure if Peanut was still alive after being taken away and pledged to start a non-profit in the squirrel's name. He is also encouraging fans to sign an online petition calling for the squirrel to be returned home. At last check, it had nearly 24,000 signatures.
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