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

New York 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.

Soon after the Oct. 30 seizure, both animals were euthanized and Peanut became a martyr – held up as a symbol of government overreach by political candidates, including Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, who invoked Peanut's name during a rally just days before the presidential election. State and Local officials were inundated with angry messages and even bomb threats.

How did events in a sleepy corner of upstate New York snowball so dramatically?

Records recently released under freedom of information requests show complaints about the P’nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary were initially treated with little urgency by the state Department of Environmental Conservation — but that changed in the weeks leading up to the fateful seizure amid new complaints and the reported arrival of raccoons to the sanctuary.

Government officials laid the groundwork for euthanizing the animals so they could be tested for rabies in the days before the seizure. Yet a state employee also lined up a wildlife rehabilitator to take Peanut, if needed.

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 near the Pennsylvania line. 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.

The 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 emailed authorities multiple times with complaints about how the animals were being treated.

In May, a conservation officer spoke to Longo and was told that Peanut and another baby squirrel were sent to Connecticut. Longo said in a recent interview that was true, but that Peanut later came back.

When a fresh complaint came in that month, one officer wrote, “no judge will give us a search warrant for a squirrel.”

“Unfortunately this isn’t a big crime, it is just a violation,” a conservation officer wrote in response to a complaint that summer. “Mark 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 was “keeping 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.

State environmental officials asked a county health official if they recommend testing animals for rabies “as a precaution for human safety.” That would require the animals to be killed so brain tissue could be examined.

The county, in turn, 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.

Peanut bites the hand that seizes it

A team of about a dozen searchers converged on Longo's property around 10:30 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 30.

Longo said the squirrel was taken to Connecticut, according to the incident report — though he later conceded to The Associated Press that was a lie in a highly stressful moment.

Bittner revealed to searchers the raccoon was in an upstairs closet. 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 the belief by critics that he was needlessly killed.

Longo believes euthanization was always on the government's agenda, citing the pre-search email indicating that testing on the animals was expected. Longo and Bittner said they did not witness anyone getting medical attention during the seizure.

A DEC report indicates the agency took steps before the raid to place the squirrel with a wildlife rehabilitator, if needed “for temporay holding/rehabbing.” The agency also coordinated with local animal control in case animals needed to be euthanized.

The documents suggest Peanut's fate was ultimately 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 in a report 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 in the home and the squirrel bit someone. County officials have said they had to follow rabies protocols from the state.

“Sad but it has to be done,” a county health official wrote in an email that afternoon. “The poor animals didn’t do anything wrong.”

The rabies tests were performed quickly, though officials didn’t publicly disclose the negative results until almost two weeks later.

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

Bomb threats were made to the DEC buildings. Government inboxes filled up with emails containing invective like “BURN IN HELL,” “SHAME ON YOU!!!” A caller to the state left a message beginning, “I want to know exactly why you freaks killed Peanut the squirrel. You people are insane.”

The DEC conducted an internal investigation after the seizure, eventually promising to add a new deputy commissioner for public protection and to develop a body-camera policy for its officers.

“We have carefully reviewed all the public feedback and we understand the distress caused to communities throughout the state,” acting Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in a prepared release last month. “We know that we can do better moving forward.”