The entire country–if not the world– is rallying behind Peanut (P’nut) the Squirrel and his owners after the Internet famous rodent was seized and euthanized by New York officials last week.
Mark Longo, who adopted the orphaned squirrel seven years ago, claims a convoy of state Department of Environmental Conservation and Health officials arrived at his home with a surprise search warrant, raided it for five hours, and ultimately confiscated Peanut and a raccoon named Fred. This has prompted outrage from many social media users–including Tesla founder Elon Musk. It even inspired a fake satirical statement from former President Donald Trump.
Longo wrote on Instagram: “Well, internet, you WON. You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people called DEC, there’s a special place in hell for you. Today at 10am Wednesday, Oct 30, 2024… The NY State DEC showed up to my house and took Peanut. He was TAKEN to the EUTHANIZED. I'm in shock, disbelief, and disgusted with the people who did this to, PNUT. For the last 7 years, Peanut has been my best friend. He’s been the center of my world and many of yours for so long, I don’t know how to process this, emotionally. Last year we moved to NY in hopes of starting a NONPROFIT animal rescue in PNUT’s Name. @pnuts_freedom_farm will forever live in PNUT’s memory. With over 350 rescues, we’ve relied heavily on PNUT and his internet family to gather donations to help more animals. I don’t even know how [I] will continue to fundraise for this nonprofit. I’ll be taking a break from social media for a bit. To the people who did this… THANK YOU for breaking apart a family and crushing any hopes of our nonprofit to survive.”
“They treated me like I was a terrorist. They treated this raid as if I was a drug dealer. They ransacked my house for five hours,” Longo told the New York Post. “They asked my wife, who is of German descent, what her immigration status was. They asked if I had cameras in my house. They wouldn’t allow me to go to the bathroom without a police escort, who then checked the back of the toilet to see if I was hiding anything there.”
A statement from the agencies said they were tipped off about the "potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets." Unconfirmed reports also point to an individual or individuals tipping off the state agencies.
Who is Behind Peanut’s Demise? DEP Staff Priorities
Meme makers and political pundits have hilariously made Peanut into a martyr, in the vein of Harambe the gorilla. But the use of excessive force here is troubling.
If New York state officials suspected foul play or illegal possession of wild animals, why did they wait seven years to act? Authorities would have intervened and quietly settled the matter if the animals were in immediate danger. This is all wildly suspicious.
Popular X account Oilfield Rando dug into the NYS DEP leadership and found some startling background information. The interim commissioner is Sean Mahar, a former Audubon Society New York employee chiefly focused on “climate change adaptation strategies.”
Upon his elevation to the post in the spring, Mr. Mahar said his agency prioritizes climate change and mitigation strategies.
“Our ambitious climate agenda and implementing the climate action plan is really front and center because that is so critical to all the work that we're doing on behalf of the planet and really leading the nation in combating climate change, and that work is really critical to what we're doing, and we've got a lot of work across the board, both on the mitigation side, but on the climate adaptation side and resilience side,” he said on a local radio program.
What is another priority of Mahar’s agency? Offshore wind development–a project whose construction is worsening the plight of endangered whales across the Atlantic Ocean. Even in New York State.
The senseless killing of wildlife is tolerated in NYS. Imagine that?
Don’t Take in Wild Animals: Know Your State Laws
While I’m empathetic with the Longo family’s situation, I, as a conservationist, don’t condone people grabbing wild animals and domesticating them as pets. Many people seek out encounters with wildlife to gain Internet fame. That’s wrong. I hope the Longos were truly altruistic and not cashing in on fame.
Call animal control, wildlife officers, or wildlife rehabilitation centers if you find or locate injured wildlife. Don’t take the animal in as a pet.
In New York, squirrels can’t be pets. In Florida, however, you can have a pet sans a permit. See what is and isn’t permitted in your state.
Conclusion
The demise of Peanut the Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon isn’t simply about pets. There’s a deeper problem with excessive government force—including a five-hour raid—by agencies that shouldn’t be weaponized. DEP could have handled the situation better. My concern is that their actions will foment distrust in conservation agencies, especially in blue states.