Inside the investigation, seizure and death of Peanut the social media star squirrel

Environmental workers who came with a warrant looking for Peanut the squirrel found the scampering social media star on a bathtub. His housemate, Fred the raccoon, was in a suitcase in a bedroom closet.

Both animals were euthanized and Peanut became a martyr — held up as a symbol of government overreach by political candidates.

State and local officials were inundated with angry messages, even threats.

Records recently released under freedom of information requests show the state Department of Environmental Conservation initially treated complaints about the P'nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary with little urgency — but that changed amid new complaints and the reported arrival of raccoons.

Government officials laid the groundwork for euthanizing the animals so they could be tested for rabies.

A final phone call to discuss Peanut's fate was made after the squirrel bit the gloved thumb of a wildlife biologist, according to records.

Who was Peanut?

Peanut, also known as P'nut, was the star of the sanctuary run by Mark Longo and Daniela Bittner in Southport, N.Y. Online videos show the squirrel skittering on Longo's shoulders, holding and eating waffles and wearing a tiny cowboy hat.

Longo said he found Peanut years ago in New York City after the animal's mother was hit by a car. It's against New York state law to possess a wild animal without a license, though Longo and Bittner took steps last year to become wildlife rehabilitators.

Fred the raccoon was dropped off at the sanctuary last summer.

The spirited interactions between the animals and their human companions racked up views — but documents show they also drew the attention of critics and state wildlife authorities.

Road to seizure

The DEC knew about the sanctuary since at least January 2024.

"A report came in of a recent news story about this facility," reads an incident report. "There are images of a non-releasable squirrel being referred to as a 'pet' and being dressed up and showcased for publicity reasons."

One self-described wildlife rehabilitator and former neighbor complained to authorities about how the animals were treated.

"Unfortunately this isn't a big crime, it is just a violation," a conservation officer wrote in response to a complaint that summer. Longo "won't let me into his house without a search warrant. There is just nothing more I can do at this point. I am sorry."

Views shifted by October amid more complaints and the arrival of Fred the raccoon — a species that can carry and transmit rabies. One correspondent alleged Longo kept "a raccoon in a small cage in his house. I follow him on TikTok."

DEC workers viewed videos on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram and reached out to the Chemung County health department.

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State environmental officials asked a county health official if they recommended testing the animals for rabies. That would require the animals to be killed so brain tissue could be examined.

The county checked with a state health department expert, who advised the animals would need to be tested if there was any potential of rabies exposure.

A week before the search, the county emailed the DEC: "We fully expect that all 'wild' animals in the home will need to be euthanized and sent for rabies testing due to the nature of the human contact."

A judge signed a search warrant authorizing the seizure of illegally possessed wildlife.

Squirrel bite

About a dozen searchers converged on Longo's property about 10:30 a.m. Oct. 30.

Fred was in an open suitcase on the floor, which was zipped closed and moved to give workers room to transfer the raccoon into a carrier.

Peanut's seizure was more dramatic. The squirrel bit the state wildlife biologist through a thick leather glove with a nitrile exam glove underneath. The worker had a bleeding wound, according to a DEC email.

A "visibly upset" Longo pleaded with searchers not to take Peanut and said the squirrel was a large source of income for the farm, according to incident reports.

"He stated he knew we would be euthanizing it," the report reads.

Did Peanut need to die?

Anger over Peanut's fate revolves around critics' belief that he was needlessly killed.

The documents suggest Peanut's fate was sealed at the end of the search, when a call was made to a county health department official about the "high profile" case. A state DEC worker recalled that the person on the phone said, "both animals should be tested as a precaution as she didn't want to chance it."

That's because both animals were in direct contact with people and the squirrel bit someone. County officials said they had to follow state rabies protocols.

"Sad but it has to be done," a county health official wrote in an email. "The poor animals didn't do anything wrong."

The rabies tests were performed. Officials didn't publicly disclose the negative results until almost two weeks later.

By then, Peanut's death made headlines around the world.

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