The man who took in Peanut, the orphaned squirrel, says it is “surreal” that authorities euthanized his pet

(AP) – A man who took in an orphaned squirrel and turned it into a social media star vowed Saturday that New York state’s decision to confiscate and euthanize the animal “will not go unnoticed.”

“We will take a stance on how this government and the state of New York use their resources,” Mark Longo said in a telephone interview.

He declined to specify his possible next steps, but said officials would soon hear from him about what happened to Peanut the squirrel and Fred, a rescued raccoon who was also confiscated and euthanized.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) took the animals Wednesday from Longo’s home and animal sanctuary in rural Pine City, near the Pennsylvania border. The agency said it had received complaints that wild animals were being kept illegally and potentially unsafely.

State law requires people to obtain a license if they wish to own a wild animal. Longo has said he was working to get Peanut, also known as P’Nut or PNUT, certified as an educational animal.

The DEC and Chemung County Health Department said Friday that the squirrel and raccoon were euthanized so they could be tested for rabies after Peanut bit someone involved in the investigation.

Longo said Saturday that he did not see Peanut bite anyone during what he described as a thorough search that lasted several hours. Authorities have not spoken to him since they left the property, he said.

“Honestly, it still seems surreal to me that the state I live in targeted me and took two of the most beloved animals on this planet without even quarantining them. “They took them out of my house and just killed them,” he said.

A request for comment was sent to the DEC on Saturday.

Longo said she began caring for Peanut after the animal’s mother was hit by a car in New York City seven years ago. Tens of thousands of users on Instagram, TikTok and other social media platforms saw the animal sporting tiny hats, doing tricks and nibbling on waffles it held in its tiny paws.

Longo said they left Fred the raccoon on their doorstep a few months ago. After helping the animal recover from its injuries, Longo said he and his wife were planning to release the creature into the woods.