Man who took in orphaned squirrel and injured raccoon responds to DEC action: “They took them from my house and just killed them”

You may be familiar with ‘Peanut,’ the beloved orphaned squirrel who was taken in by a man, who loves animals, and became a social media star.

Unfortunately, there is a sad ending to this story, as Peanut was taken away and euthanized by the New York State DEC, as was a rescued raccoon.

Mark Longo, the man who made Peanut the beloved social media sensation, tells the Associated Press that there will be a response to this on his behalf.

It’s reported that the DEC confiscated both Peanut and the Raccoon from Longo’s home in Pine City, NY, which is in Chemung County, just north of the Pennsylvania border.

DEC officials claim that they had received complaints of wildlife that was being housed illegally and potentially unsafely, citing state laws that New York residents are required to obtain a special license if they wish to possess and/or own a wild animal.

With that said, Longo told reporters that he was in the works of having Peanut certified as an educational animal.

DEC and Chemung County officials say that Peanut and the Raccoon were euthanized for rabies testing after someone was bit during the investigation, to which Longo says he never witnessed such claims.

“Honestly, this still kind of feels surreal that the state I live in actually targeted me and took two of the most beloved animals on this planet away, didn’t even quarantine them,” Longo claimed.

“They took them away from my house and just killed them.”

Associated Press says it has reached out to the DEC for further explanation.

Image via Mark Longo social media.