Peanut, the social media star squirrel, was killed by the authorities: the pain of the web and the couple who adopted him

Peanutone orphaned squirrel who became famous on social mediawas suppressed by New York state authorities after being taken from the home of his caretakers, Mark and Daniela Longo. The squirrel, who lived with the couple on their property in Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border, had been adopted by Mark Longo seven years agowhen he found him as a puppy after his mother died when she was hit by a car in New York City.

The news of the suppression hit Peanut’s followers hard, who followed him in large numbers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms where the squirrel was now a small star. In the videos and photos published by Longo, Peanut he performed cute stunts, wore miniature hats and ate waffleswinning the hearts of thousands of people online.

Even a raccoon named Fredwelcomed together with Peanut, was euthanized during the seizure of the animals by the authorities. The intervention of the authorities was motivated by some anonymous complaints who had reported the presence of animals in Longo’s house.

Peanut was getting certified as an “educational animal” for their sanctuary

Agents from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), with assistance from the Chemung County Health Department, removed the two animals stating that, living in close contact with humans, could represent a risk of rabies transmission.

According to reports, during the kidnapping operations, one person she was bitten by the squirrelraising concern about possible exposure to the virus. As part of the testing procedure, both animals were euthanized and tested for rabies.

The Longos, deeply saddened, shared the news with a post on social media, expressing their pain for the loss of Peanut and Fred. They expressed their disappointment with the decision made by the authorities, stating that their appeals to save the animals .

Peanut was already in the process of getting certified as an “educational animal” for the sanctuarythe P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, opened by the Longos in April 2023. The sanctuary is home to approximately 300 animals including horses, goats and alpacas and is committed to providing shelter and care to animals in need.

A story that cannot leave us indifferent, with the web outraged by what happened to poor Peanut and Fred. Many, There were many messages of condolence on social mediawhere a debate was also opened on the application of health regulations in these cases, especially when these animals become emotional members of the families that welcome them.