'Justice for Peanut': 5 reactions to killing of celebrity squirrel seized by New York authorities
Peanut the squirrel’s seizure and euthanization by New York state authorities has sparked blowback from former President Donald Trump’s running mate and various public figures, with the deceased pet now serving as the inspiration for a new law intended to improve animal rights.
Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, are the former owners of the online celebrity squirrel Peanut and a raccoon named Fred. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) removed the two animals from the couple's residence on Oct. 30 after receiving a complaint about someone illegally keeping wildlife as pets.
As WENY News reported, the couple didn't learn of their pets’ fate until the DEC and Chemung County Department of Health announced in a Friday statement that the two animals were euthanized to test for rabies. The statement also claimed that the squirrelbit one of the officials involved with the investigation, a claim Mark has trouble believing.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"Peanut did not bite anybody," Longo told the outlet. "I have had people travel the world, not the neighborhood, the world to meet Peanut and he has never bitten anybody.”
“I can 100 percent say that as a logical fact that he has never harmed a single person. ... There are a lot of unanswered questions that we demand an answer to and we are looking forward to the day that we get to present this to the courts so we can get explanations."
As with many states, it is illegal in New York to keep wild animals as pets; however, residents with a Wildlife Rehabilitator License can care for an injured or orphaned animal, so long as they return the creature to the wild.
Longo, who operates the nonprofit P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary alongside his wife, said in a statement to WPMI-TV that he was in the process of filing paperwork to certify Peanut as an educational animal. As for the raccoon, he had planned to rehabilitate the animal for a few months before releasing him back into the wild.
The New York DEC did not respond to The Christian Post's request for comment.
New York officials’ handling of the case has sparked backlash from celebrities and politicians who disagree with the decision to euthanize the animals.
Here’s how five influential figures reacted to New York euthanizing Peanut the Squirrel.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
