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Peanut (squirrel)

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Peanut
Pictured in 2020
Other name(s)P'Nut
SpeciesEastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
SexMale
Bornc. 2017
DiedNovember 1, 2024 (aged 6–7)
Pine City, New York, U.S.
Cause of deathEuthanized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Years active2017–2024
Known for
  • Animal sanctuary fundraising
  • Social media presence
  • Wildlife law controversy
OwnerMark Longo
ResidencePine City, New York, U.S.

Peanut (c. 2017 – November 1, 2024), also known as P'Nut, was a pet eastern gray squirrel. Found and rescued by Mark Longo in 2017, he was the subject of a popular Instagram account. On October 30, 2024, he was seized from his owners' home by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and euthanized two days later. Peanut's death triggered outcry on social media, large-scale backlash from the public, condemnation from various lawmakers, and the proposition of a bill aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.

Life and career

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Peanut was an eastern gray squirrel found and rescued in 2017 by Mark Longo after the squirrel's mother was killed by a car in New York City.[1][2] Longo sought a shelter for Peanut but was unsuccessful, and he bottle-fed the squirrel for the next eight months before deciding that Peanut should be returned to the wild.[3] Longo released the animal into his backyard, but about a day later, he found Peanut on his porch with half of its tail missing. Longo said he "opened the door, [Peanut] ran inside, and that was the last of Peanut's wildlife career."[4] It is illegal to keep squirrels as pets in the state of New York,[5] and in the seven years spent in Longo's care in his hometown of Norwalk, Connecticut,[2] no license was obtained to legally keep Peanut.[5][6] Longo has stated that he was in the process of filing paperwork to have Peanut certified as an educational animal at the time of the seizure,[7] however, he has not explained why he failed to pursue a license in the preceding seven years.[6]

While in his care, Longo created an Instagram account sharing videos of Peanut, and by October 2024 the account had amassed 534,000 followers.[8] Peanut's social media following also helped steer viewers to Longo's OnlyFans account, where he called himself "Peanut's dad"[9] and produced pornography, drawing in $800,000 over one month.[10][11] In April 2023, Longo and his wife moved from Norwalk to upstate New York to found the P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.[2][7] They contributed to half of the sanctuary's expenses, most of which was raised through Peanut's social media presence. According to them, the sanctuary had rescued over 300 animals by November 2024,[1][2] however, Longo was not licensed as a wildlife rehabilitator.[5][6]

Death

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On October 30, 2024,[12] Peanut was taken, along with a pet raccoon named Fred,[7] from his owner's home in Pine City, Chemung County, New York, by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, following anonymous complaints. Government officials alleged that after his seizure, Peanut had bitten one of the personnel involved,[5] and the pets were euthanized two days later to test for rabies,[8][13][14] as there are no ante-mortem rabies testing methods for animals approved by the Centers for Disease Control.[15] Longo said that they were in the process of filing paperwork to have the squirrel certified as an educational animal when Peanut was seized.[7] He later stated that the decision to euthanize the squirrel "won't go unheard."[16] He claimed that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation used excessive force during the raid, which, according to Longo, lasted five hours.[13] In an interview with the New York Post, Longo speculated that the anonymous complaints were motivated by jealousy due to the success of his OnlyFans account.[10][11]

Reactions

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Peanut's death triggered widespread public backlash, social media outcry, condemnation from several lawmakers, and a proposed bill aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.[17][18][19] On X, the death of Peanut was used as a cause célèbre by the MAGA movement, who blamed it on Democrats.[20][6] Several prominent Republican figures complained about the killing of the squirrel, with some Trump campaign supporters claiming that the Biden-Harris administration was too firm regarding licenses for owning wild animals like squirrels as pets.[21][6] Both New York governor Kathy Hochul and Vice President Kamala Harris turned down a request to comment on the incident.[22][23] The Republican vice presidential candidate of the 2024 U.S. election, J. D. Vance, posted on X that "Don is fired up about P’Nut the squirrel"; the official Trump campaign TikTok account also condemned Peanut's death.[24][22] Nick Langworthy stated his irritation with the NYS DEC, saying that "instead of focusing on critical needs like flood mitigation in places like Steuben County, where local officials have to struggle just to get permits from the DEC to clear debris-filled waterways, they're out seizing pet squirrels."[25][26] Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo of the Democratic Party also criticized the DEC,[10][11] as did actor William Shatner.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Mather, Victor; Jiménez, Jesus (November 1, 2024). "After 7 Years, P'Nut the Squirrel Is Taken Away and Then Put Down". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "New York state officials seize Instagram-famous squirrel named Peanut from owner". NBC News. Associated Press. November 1, 2024. Archived from the original on November 1, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Greenwich Guy's Viral Squirrel Videos Lead to Marriage, Sprawling Animal Sanctuary". Greenwich Free Press. August 6, 2024. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Moses, Allison (July 16, 2022). "Orphaned squirrel lives in New York home with a cat and the man who raised him". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Kaloi, Stephanie (November 4, 2024). "Conservative Social Media Rallies Around Peanut the Euthanized Squirrel". Yahoo News. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "New York authorities euthanize social media star Peanut the squirrel". The Guardian. Associated Press. November 2, 2024. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Cross, Greta (November 1, 2024). "Social media star Peanut the Squirrel has been euthanized after being seized from NY home". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  8. ^ Wickman, Case (November 4, 2024). "Why the Death of P'Nut the Squirrel Has Become a National Political Event". Vanity Fair. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Sheehan, Kevin; Golden, Vaughn; Campanile, Carl; Fitz-Gibbon, Jorge (November 3, 2024). "Who ratted out P'nut the squirrel? Grieving owners have their theory — and it's a rich one". New York Post. The Longos said they bought their 350-acre spread near Elmira with the $800,000 that they made in one month posting their porn online — and P'nut then began pulling his own weight with his separate family-friendly fan base.
  10. ^ a b c "New York couple blames jealousy for pet squirrel Peanut's seizure and euthanization by DEC". The Express Tribune. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Cross, Greta (November 1, 2024). "Social media star Peanut the Squirrel has been killed after being seized from NY home". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Keleshian, Kristie (November 2, 2024). "Peanut, the Instagram-famous squirrel, euthanized by New York state authorities". CBS News. CBS New York. Archived from the original on November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  13. ^
  14. ^ "Information for Diagnostic Laboratories". Centers for Disease Control. United States Department of Health and Human Services. May 17, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  15. ^ "Man slams 'surreal' decision by N.Y. to seize, put down social media darling Peanut the squirrel". CBC News. Associated Press. November 2, 2024. Archived from the original on November 3, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  16. ^ "Man who took in Peanut, the orphaned squirrel, says it's 'surreal' officials euthanized his pet". CNN. Associated Press. November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  17. ^ Cross, Greta (November 4, 2024). "New York's decision to seize, euthanize Peanut the Squirrel is a 'disgrace,' owner says". USA TODAY. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  18. ^ Duley, Megan (November 4, 2024). "Here's Why the World Is Outraged over New York Squirrel's Death". WIBX 950. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  19. ^ Kukreti, Shweta (November 2, 2024). "Who was Peanut? Huge row erupts in US as social media star squirrel euthanised; MAGA converts tragedy into election ploy". Microsoft Start. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  20. ^ Faguy, Ana. "Trump 'fired up' about euthanasia of Peanut the squirrel". BBC News. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Nir, Sarah M. "How the Death of a Celebrity Squirrel Became a Republican Rallying Cry". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  22. ^ "US Elections 2024 | How the death of a celebrity squirrel became a Republican rallying cry". Deccan Herald. November 5, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  23. ^ Hassan, Jennifer. "Republicans call to 'avenge' Peanut the squirrel's death at ballot box". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  24. ^ Jeffrey, Joyann (November 4, 2024). "Why was Peanut the squirrel euthanized? The controversy explained". Yahoo! News. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  25. ^ Forbes, Ahjané (November 2, 2024). "Social media users weigh in on Peanut the Squirrel being euthanized: 'This can't be real'". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  26. ^ Shatner, William [@WilliamShatner] (November 3, 2024). "I just heard about #PeanutTheSquirrel 😞 He was 7 years old & a pet for 7 years. How could he be considered a wild animal when all he knew was being a pet?🤷🏼 You can say that about any animal, then in the State of NY. Shame on the @NYSDEC !🙄" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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