Peanut, a squirrel made famous by his large and devoted following on Instagram, has been euthanized just days after being seized by New York authorities.


The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) raided Mark Longo’s home on Wednesday after complaints about potentially unsafe housing for the animal.


Earlier this week, Mr Longo pleaded with authorities for Peanut’s safe return, writing on Instagram that there was a “special place in hell” for the DEC.


However, authorities said they put the animal to sleep after it bit an official involved in its seizure. The DEC also said it euthanized a raccoon named Fred, which they took from Mr. Longo’s home during the raid.




News of Peanut’s death came as a petition calling for his return had collected more than 30,000 signatures by Friday afternoon.


On Thursday, Mr. Longo had said he was raising money for legal fees against the DEC. A GoFundMe he set up had raised around $13,500 (£10,400).


The ordeal, he said in a Friday morning post, had become a “terrible nightmare.”


After Peanut’s death, Mr. Longo posted the DEC’s phone number online and urged his supporters to call the organization to “express your feelings.”


“We will not let this be Pnuts’ last memory,” he wrote.


In a separate Instagram story, he thanked Peanut’s fans for the “love and support” his family had received and called for donations to help other animals kept on his “freedom farm.”


A DEC statement said an investigation was launched after receiving “multiple reports from the public regarding the potentially unsafe housing of wild animals that can transmit rabies and the illegal keeping of wild animals as pets.”


Mr. Longo took Peanut into his home seven years ago after noticing the baby squirrel living with his mother, who had been hit by a car.


He cared for Peanut until he was strong enough to be released, but said he found the creature back on his porch the next morning with “a piece of his tail missing.”


Peanut’s Instagram account has since amassed more than 500,000 followers.


The account features videos of Peanut performing skits with Mr. Longo, occasionally wearing hats, often climbing over him or being hugged, and regularly eating waffles.



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