The officers left with Peanut, who amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms during his seven years with Longo. They also took Fred, a more recent addition to the family.

A DEC spokesperson said in a statement that the agency opened an investigation after receiving “multiple reports from the public about the potentially dangerous housing of wildlife that can transmit rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife.” as pets.

Longo, who runs an animal shelter modeled after his squirrel pal called P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, took to Instagram to mourn the loss of Peanut.

“Well, Internet, you WON,” Longo posted. “You took one of the most amazing animals from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC, there is a special place for you in hell.

Longo fears Peanut may have been euthanized. “I don’t know if Peanut is alive,” he said in a telephone interview Thursday. “I don’t know where he is.”

The DEC spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether Peanut was euthanized.

Longo said he saw Peanut’s mother get hit by a car in New York seven years ago, leaving the little squirrel orphaned. Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before trying to release the squirrel back into the wild. “A day and a half later, I found him sitting on my porch with half of his tail missing and his bones sticking out,” Longo said.

Longo determined that Peanut did not have the survival skills necessary to live in the wild and would remain an indoor squirrel.

Soon after Longo posted videos of Peanut playing with his cat, Internet fame followed.

A scroll through Peanut’s Instagram account suggests this is no ordinary squirrel. Peanut jumps on Longo’s shoulder, he wears a miniature cowboy hat, he eats a waffle while wearing crocheted bunny ears.

Over the years, Peanut’s story has been featured on television and in newspapers, including USA Today.

Longo, who works as a mechanical engineer, lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, until he decided to move to upstate New York last year to start an animal sanctuary.

The P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary opened in April 2023 and is now home to about 300 animals, including horses, goats and alpacas, said Longo, who runs the sanctuary with his wife, Daniela, and other members of his family.

Longo is aware that it is against New York State law to possess a wild animal without a license. He said he was in the process of completing paperwork to get Peanut certified as an educational animal.

“If we don’t follow the rules, guide us in the right direction to follow the rules, you know? » said Longo. “Tell us what we need to do to have Peanut home and not have to worry about him getting caught.”

As for Fred, Longo said he’s only had the raccoon for a few months and was hoping to rehabilitate the injured creature and release it back into the woods.

Longo is not the first pet owner to protest the confiscation of a pet by New York authorities. A Buffalo-area man whose alligator was seized by the DEC in March is suing the agency to recover the 750-pound (340-kilogram) reptile.