“Thank you for the best 7 years of my life. Thank you for bringing so much joy to us and the world. I'm sorry for failing but thank you for everything.” It was with these emotional words that Mark Longo, an American who had taken in a squirrel, named Peanut, announced the death of the animal by euthanasia, following reports from neighbors.
In his family for 7 years, Peanut the squirrel had become a star on Instagram, with some 500,000 subscribers. The animal was seized by New York area health authorities, who had it euthanized “due to a risk of spreading the rabies virus”.
A raccoon also euthanized
Mark Longo, who opened an animal shelter, regularly posted videos of the little rodent on social media.
But the health authorities of the State of New York, alerted by “numerous reports of potentially dangerous housing of wild animals that could carry rabies and illegal keeping of wild animals as pets”, went to Mark Longo's home and seized the animal.
“Internet, you win. You took one of the most incredible animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called the DEC, there is a special place in hell for you,” reacted the American after the seizure of Peanut. He had also launched, in vain, a petition to recover the rodent.
The authorities also seized a raccoon named Fred, also taken in at the shelter, and he was also euthanized.
On Instagram, Mark Longo asked Peanut fans to help him raise money for his “legal battles as well as for its “refuge” and of “support him to hold New York health authorities accountable.”
