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Peanut The Squirrel Earmarked For Euthanasia Before Being Confiscated And Was Rabies-free: Report
Peanut the Squirrel, a beloved pet who was an internet sensation before it was confiscated and then killed by New York state officials, was found to be rabies-free after it was euthanized in order to be tested for the disease, according to a report, the latest twist in the ongoing saga about the much-loved critter.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized Peanut and a raccoon named Fred from owner Mark Longo's home and animal sanctuary in rural Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border, late last month during a raid, saying it had received complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally. Longo, who adopted Peanut some seven years ago, has said he was working to get certified as an educational animal.
Officials said that a DEC worker involved in the investigation was bitten by the squirrel – requiring the agency to euthanize it in order to check for rabies. Longo denied the worker had been bitten and insisted that the animals were rabies free. Rabies is a viral disease of mammals usually transmitted through the bite of an infected animal.
PEANUT THE SQUIRREL TOUCHES OFF SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM AFTER NEW YORK OFFICIALS EUTHANIZE BELOVED RODENT
Peanut or P'Nut the squirrel has 532,000 followers on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
Chemung County Executive Chris Moss said tests on the two animals came back negative during a news conference detailing the county's role in the incident. He said the county worked with the state and followed protocols.
The New York Post reports that the State Department of Health wrote to the county on Oct. 23 outlining that "wildlife cannot be confined like domestic animals, and if there was an exposure, the animals would need to be tested for rabies."
The message all but sealed the animals' fates ahead of the raid, as rabies tests require euthanasia via decapitation in order to open the subjects' heads and sample their brains.
Days later, on Oct. 29, the DEC coordinated the animals' euthanasia with Elmira Animal Control, per the New York Post report, contradicting the agency's previous explanation that P'Nut had prompted his own euthanasia via the bite.
Longo on Tuesday said the negative test results were no surprise and criticized the government's actions.
"It's no real big shocker to me, considering I lived with Peanut for seven-and-a-half years and Fred for five months. I'm not foaming at the mouth," he said. "I knew the test results were going to be negative."
He told the Post he was in "utter shock" when presented with the latest timeline of events.
Fox News Digital has reached out to New York's health department and the DEC regarding the timeline.
PEANUT THE PET SQUIRREL TAKEN AWAY BY NEW YORK STATE OFFICIALS FROM ADOPTED HOME, MAY BE EUTHANIZED
Elon Musk posted about the squirrel several times. The squirrel and his owner (Photo/Evan Vucci, left, provided to AP, right)
Longo and his wife established the animal sanctuary, called "P'Nut's Freedom Farm," last year, inspired by the squirrel. Longo told his followers that he had taken the rodent in after he witnessed the squirrel's mother being hit by a car. The squirrel refused to return to the wild and became attached to the couple.
An Instagram page dedicated to the squirrel had climbed to more than 550,000 followers and the couple uploaded their playful interactions with the rodent and other animals they care for. The page has more than 910,000 followers now.
But things took a sour turn on Oct. 30 when officials descended on their sanctuary home, the extent of which shocked Longo.
Longo said authorities went through "every cabinet, nook and cranny" of his house during the search.
"They got a search warrant. Four departments and a judge signed off on a search warrant for a squirrel and a raccoon. And then they took them and killed them," a visibly upset Longo said.
The shocking death of animals sparked an online backlash and the story quickly went viral.
"President Trump will save the squirrels," Elon Musk wrote with a squirrel and a crying face emoji. "RIP P'Nut." The text was accompanied by an image of the rodent on the back of a smiling Longo.
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Peanut the squirrel enjoys some peanuts in this photo shared on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
In announcing the rodent's death, and holding a framed drawing of the squirrel, a teary Longo told followers on an Instagram video that "Peanut was the best thing that ever happened to us."
"RIP MY BEST FRIEND. Thank you for the best seven years of my life," he wrote in the caption. "Thank you for bringing so much joy to us and the world. I'm sorry I failed you but thank you for everything."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.Dorgan@fox.Com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
Peanut The Squirrel Touches Off Social Media Firestorm After New York Officials Euthanize Beloved Rodent
Peanut the Squirrel, a beloved pet who was an internet sensation before New York state officials confiscated and then killed it, is drawing even more social media attention after the rodent's death.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized Peanut and a raccoon named Fred from owner Mark Longo's home and animal sanctuary in rural Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border, earlier this week. The agency, which said it had received complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally, then euthanized the critters, to the horror of Longo and about 550,000 of Peanut's best friends. As word got out, the X memes went up.
"President Trump will save the squirrels," Elon Musk wrote with a squirrel and a crying face emoji. "RIP P'Nut." The text was accompanied by an image of the rodent on the back of his smiling owner, Mark Longo.
PEANUT THE PET SQUIRREL TAKEN AWAY BY NEW YORK STATE OFFICIALS FROM ADOPTED HOME, MAY BE EUTHANIZED
"Radicalized Squirrels In MAGA Hats Begin Uprising," read a Babylon Bee headline.
Another tweet depicted John Wick, Keanu Reeves' fictional movie character who goes on a killing spree after his beloved dog is killed by a mobster, and warned that denizens of the web may react similarly.
While some memes expressed humor, others dripped with outrage that the DEC and Chemung County Health Department had put the animals down to test them for rabies. State law requires people to get a license if they wish to own a wild animal. Longo, who adopted Peanut some seven years ago, has said he was working to get certified as an educational animal.
Peanut (or P'Nut) the squirrel had 532,000 followers on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
Peanut's popularity was no joke. An Instagram page dedicated to the squirrel has more than 550,000 followers, and the couple uploaded their playful interactions with the rodent and other animals they care for.
Longo and his wife established the animal sanctuary, called "P'Nut's Freedom Farm," last year, inspired by the squirrel. Longo told his followers that he had taken the rodent in after he witnessed the squirrel's mother being hit by a car. The squirrel refused to return to the wild and became attached to the couple.
MAYE MUSK TELLS WOMEN VOTERS TO 'THINK FOR YOURSELF' AND STRIVE FOR A BETTER FUTURE
Peanut the squirrel enjoys some peanuts in this photo shared on Instagram. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
The incident was no laughing matter for Longo. In an emotional interview with TMZ, he detailed the police raid as his wife wept beside him.
"It's not only torn my family apart, but Peanut was the cornerstone of our non-profit animal rescue," Longo said. "And 10 to 12 DEC officers raided my house as if I was a drug dealer. I sat outside my house for five hours. I had to get a police escort to my bathroom," Longo said.
"I wasn't even allowed to feed my rescue horses breakfast or lunch. I sat there like a criminal after they interrogated my wife to check out her immigration status."
Longo said authorities went through "every cabinet, nook and cranny" of his house during the search.
"They got a search warrant. Four departments and a judge signed off on a search warrant for a squirrel and a raccoon. And then they took them and killed them," a visibly upset Longo said.
Peanut was rescued at five weeks of age by his adoptive human parents after his mother was run over by a car. (peanut_the_squirrel12 via Instagram)
The New York State Police directed Fox News Digital to DEC when asked to comment. DEC did not immediately respond when contacted.
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In announcing the rodent's death, and holding a framed drawing of the squirrel, a teary Longo told followers on an Instagram video that "Peanut was the best thing that ever happened to us."
"RIP MY BEST FRIEND. Thank you for the best seven years of my life," he wrote in the caption. "Thank you for bringing so much joy to us and the world. I'm sorry I failed you but thank you for everything."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.Dorgan@fox.Com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
Hunting Lessons From The Squirrel Woods
I started hunting in September of 1972. Seated on the ground next to my father, I settled the gold front bead of a 410 single shot on a fox squirrel's head and pulled the trigger. Fifty-two years later, I am still using the lessons and tactics I learned during my first squirrel season.
Over those five decades, I've hunted a lot of animals in a lot of different places. But I never lost my passion for squirrels. Rusty red fox squirrels. Skittish grey squirrels. Elusive black squirrels. It really doesn't matter which type of species, for I've enjoyed them all. And not only have I enjoyed the chase and the challenge bushytails have provided, but most of the hunting (big game included) and outdoor skills I've accumulated over those 50 years have come courtesy of these wonderful small game animals. Here is everything that squirrel hunting has taught me.
Two squirrels the author took with his H&R Model 48 .410 single shot. (Photo/ MD Johnson)
The Importance of StealthSquirrel hunting teaches you how to walk in the woods without sounding like an amorous chipmunk running in oak leaves. Occasionally, I've chosen a seat within shooting range of a squirrel when it appears. However, more often, I have to relocate, and when hunting ever-nervous grey squirrels, I have to reposition myself quietly and slowly. Without being seen, and by using any available cover, be it tree or terrain, I learned how to move through woods going unnoticed. Still-hunting whitetails? It's helped tremendously. Sneaking on a bunch of loafing mallards? Same thing.
I became a better turkey hunter because squirrel hunting taught me to look with my eyes and not my head or upper body, eliminating any unnecessary movement without sacrificing what I could or couldn't see.
How to be ObservantWhile we're talking about vision, hunting bushytails coached me in the art of being observant. That is seeing what I'm looking at and having it register. You look at 50 mixed hickory and beech and maple trees long enough, and you'll notice when something is out of place. Like a suspicious hairy bump that wasn't there a mintue ago. Now you're ready to see a whitetail's ear. Or the horizontal line of a buck's back. Or that distant gobbler standing statue still at 100 yards along a treeline. Remember, it's one thing to look, and it's another to actually see.
Squirrel hunting can be had from late summer into early winter throughout most of the country. (Photo/MD Johnson)
How to ListenThe leafy swoosh squirrels make when jumping from branch to branch is radically different from that made by the wind. So, too, a fat 'ole fox squirrel digging in the leaves differs from a chipmunk or rufous-sided towhee. Squirrel hunting taught me to listen … and listen … and listen, and then decipher what I was hearing.
A gobbler walking in the leaves. An errant breeze. The rhythmic step-step-step of another hunter. And blue jays! I've found endless amounts of squirrels thanks to two or three jays squalling at them. And how many whitetails might have gone undetected had it not been for a pesky red squirrel raising the alarm? Squirrels taught me how to use my ears.
How to Shoot AccuratelyLike many new hunters, I began my squirrel hunting career shooting a variety of smaller shotguns—a single shot .410, a single Savage 20 gauge, and even a '52 Winchester Model 24 16 gauge. Eventually, I graduated to a Stevens 22/410 O/U, Winchester M9422, and the venerable Ruger 10/22, all topped with scopes ranging from Old School straight 4x tubes to modern Bushnell 3-9x40s. Then I started shooting a Pedersoli .32 caliber muzzleloading long rifle, and it was as accurate as any 22 I've ever carried.
Long story short, the rimfires and the muzzleloader trained me to make that first (and often only) shot count. That was a critical lesson that I applied to whitetails, bears, and gobblers. Make the first shot count because a squirrel—and other big game—might not give you a second chance.
The author's father holds up a squirrel taken with a Pedersoli 32 caliber muzzleloader. (Photo/MD Johnson)
How to Sit StillWhen it came to squirrels, my Old Man was a sitter. So, by default, I became a sitter, or at least until I was permitted to hunt alone, and then I combined sitting with walking. All that said and today, as it's been for a long time, I can sit. And boy, can I sit still. It doesn't matter if it's turkeys, whitetails, ducks, or geese. I take a foam seat and get comfortable. Put coffee and snacks within simple arm's reach, maybe pop up a portable blind, and sit. It's like my old man always said, "You will see more sitting still than you will walking through the woods. And you won't be scaring stuff away." Dad was right.
How to Care Properly for Wild GameSquirrels were my first foray into the world of wild game care. After the hunt, the guns were cleaned, and the squirrels were immediately separated from their hides. They were then gutted, cut into five pieces, soaked overnight in salt water, and packaged for the freezer. I never saw game cleaning as a chore but instead as a factor in the overall equation. It wasn't fancy, but it was an integral part of the process. Here is a step-by-step guide to that process.
With heavy tin snips, remove all four feet at the 'wrist'
With a stiff, sharp knife, remove the head and tail
Hold the still-hairy carcass under cool running water. Get it soaking wet, down to the skin. Water is key
With your left hand, pinch about an inch of hide in the middle of the back. With your right hand and the knife, cut an inch-long slit in the hide. It's important to rinse your hands every time they leave the carcass so as not to transfer hair from your hands to the meat
Next, put your first two fingers of each hand into the slit and, channeling your inner Circus Strong Man, pull in opposite directions. The hide should come off in two pieces (head and tail) inside out like a glove. A quick cut might be necessary on the belly
Rinse again. Gut like you would a miniature whitetail. Rinse again, and cut into two hind legs, the back, and two fronts with the ribs
Back in the day, 99 percent of the young hunters entering the field learned the ropes during squirrel season. Squirrels are the perfect instructors on several levels. My father could sit shoulder-to-shoulder with me and address every single aspect of the hunt, including and, most significantly, safety. We would talk in whispers. I'd ask questions. He'd point things out. "Hear that," he'd ask. I didn't. "See that," he'd whisper. Again, I didn't.
But over time, I learned. If I missed a squirrel or one ran off through the treetops, it didn't matter. There were lots of squirrels, and let's be honest, a big fat fox squirrel, though a trophy in my book, isn't a 200-inch whitetail or 28-pound gobbler with a foot-long beard. There is no pressure with squirrel hunting, and for that reason, it still remains the best outdoor classroom there is.
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