Peanut the Squirrel, Who Was Euthanized, Tests Negative for Rabies
Tests have revealed that Peanut the Squirrel, a former social media sensation who was subsequently euthanized, was rabies-free. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
The owner of Peanut the Squirrel expressed confidence that the test result for rabies would return negative.
Authorities in Chemung County, New York, have confirmed that Peanut, a popular social media squirrel with over 900,000 followers on Instagram, did not have rabies after being euthanized. Alongside Peanut, a raccoon named Fred was also seized from their owner, Mark Longo's home, by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in late October. The agency acted following complaints about the illegal keeping of wild animals that posed a potential safety risk at Longo’s Pine City farm.
Peanut and Fred were euthanized two days later after the squirrel reportedly bit a DEC employee. As per agency policy, the animals were put down to facilitate rabies testing.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Chemung County Executive Chris Moss stated that both animals tested negative for the disease. He emphasized, “Wild animals should not be in the home,” defending the actions taken by the authorities. He added, “Raccoons, squirrels, they do not belong there. They are not domesticated animals. Our hands were tied when it came to whether or not these animals needed to be euthanized. Once the bite took place there was really no choice.”
In response, Longo asserted that he was certain his animals were healthy. “It is no real big shocker to me, considering I lived with Peanut for seven and a half years and Fred for five months. I am not foaming at the mouth. I knew the test results were going to be negative,” he told CBS News.
Longo did not possess the necessary permits to keep the wild animals when at least six DEC officers arrived to remove them. However, he stated that he was in the process of certifying Peanut as an educational animal.
The euthanization of the two animals sparked outrage both in the U.S. and internationally, leading to bomb threats directed at more than a dozen DEC employees, all of which were later deemed non-credible.
Just days before the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump’s campaign account on TikTok criticized the decision to euthanize Peanut, labeling it a “needless” killing by “Democrat bureaucrats.” Additionally, Elon Musk remarked that the DEC’s actions signified “overreach” by the authorities, insisting, “the government should not be allowed to barge into your house and kill your pet! That’s messed up.”
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
Authorities in Chemung County, New York, have confirmed that Peanut, a popular social media squirrel with over 900,000 followers on Instagram, did not have rabies after being euthanized. Alongside Peanut, a raccoon named Fred was also seized from their owner, Mark Longo's home, by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in late October. The agency acted following complaints about the illegal keeping of wild animals that posed a potential safety risk at Longo’s Pine City farm.
Peanut and Fred were euthanized two days later after the squirrel reportedly bit a DEC employee. As per agency policy, the animals were put down to facilitate rabies testing.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Chemung County Executive Chris Moss stated that both animals tested negative for the disease. He emphasized, “Wild animals should not be in the home,” defending the actions taken by the authorities. He added, “Raccoons, squirrels, they do not belong there. They are not domesticated animals. Our hands were tied when it came to whether or not these animals needed to be euthanized. Once the bite took place there was really no choice.”
In response, Longo asserted that he was certain his animals were healthy. “It is no real big shocker to me, considering I lived with Peanut for seven and a half years and Fred for five months. I am not foaming at the mouth. I knew the test results were going to be negative,” he told CBS News.
Longo did not possess the necessary permits to keep the wild animals when at least six DEC officers arrived to remove them. However, he stated that he was in the process of certifying Peanut as an educational animal.
The euthanization of the two animals sparked outrage both in the U.S. and internationally, leading to bomb threats directed at more than a dozen DEC employees, all of which were later deemed non-credible.
Just days before the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump’s campaign account on TikTok criticized the decision to euthanize Peanut, labeling it a “needless” killing by “Democrat bureaucrats.” Additionally, Elon Musk remarked that the DEC’s actions signified “overreach” by the authorities, insisting, “the government should not be allowed to barge into your house and kill your pet! That’s messed up.”
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
