State authorities have taken a beloved squirrel who boasts thousands of online followers from his New York home.
Peanut, whose name is also spelled P’Nut or PNUT, was seized by officers from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, according to a statement his owner, Mark Longo, published on Peanut’s official Instagram account on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
“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. Im in shock, disbelief, and disgusted to the people who did this to, PNUT,” the statement read.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the DEC said it conducted an investigation following “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”
The statement added that the “DEC’s investigation is ongoing, and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”
According to the Associated Press, in addition to Peanut, the DEC also seized an injured raccoon named Fred, whom Longo had for a few months and hoped to release back into the woods.
Peanut has thousands of views on all his social accounts, 533,000 followers on Instagram and 423,000 followers on Facebook.
Peanut The Squirrel/Instagram
According to the Associated Press, Longo took Peanut in seven years ago after seeing his mother get hit by a car. Their bond is what inspired him to start the P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in April 2023.
“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,” wrote Longo in his Instagram statement on Wednesday.
Peanut The Squirrel/Instagram
On Thursday, Oct. 31, he provided an update on Peanut’s Instagram Stories that read, “I still haven’t heard from the NY state. I don’t know where Peanut is or if he’s still with us.”
“I just want to say thank you for the bottom of my heart for all the support yall have showed me and my wife. This is an absolute tragedy and I’m praying we still have a chance,” he shared in another Instagram post the same day.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Longo has created a Change.org petition and a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to help “cover legal fees for attorneys who will assist us in addressing the damage caused and ensuring Peanut’s return to his loving home.”
