“It's like losing a family member”— Peanut the Squirrel’s owner Mark Longo cries as he requests people to send in tributes for memorial

Mark Longo, the owner of the pet squirrel Peanut that was recently euthanized by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), announced a memorial to pay tribute to his pet. On November 4, Longo took to Instagram to ask followers to send gifts so he could create a memorial for Peanut in its room at his home in Pine City.

A tearful Longo said he wanted to keep the memories of his pet squirrel as he would never hear it running around the house, saying:

"This sucks, it's like losing a family member."

Longo also mentioned he would open a PO box so people could send things like drawings or stuffed animals to decorate his pet's room as a memorial.

"If y'all can do me a favour and send Peanut some things. I want this as not something that you bought. These walls are empty, and by the time I finish this campaign, I want this room to be filled with all of your memories of Peanut. Whether you want to draw him or not, whether you want to send a stuffed animal. I want to see all of you guys just send something to this room," he said.

Longo also showed the damage the DEC did to his house when they forcefully entered and seized his pet squirrel and raccoon, Fred, on October 30, 2024. Additionally, he vowed to seek justice for his pets.

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Republicans criticized the government for Peanut's death

On October 30, the DEC seized Peanut and Fred from Mark Longo's Pine City home after receiving anonymous complaints about "potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies." The squirrel allegedly bit an officer after being seized, and both animals were euthanized to check for rabies. The DEC said in a statement to CBS News:

"On October 30, DEC seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies. In addition, a person involved with the investigation was bitten by the squirrel. To test for rabies, both animals were euthanised."

According to BBC, Donald Trump's running mate, JD Vance, claimed the former president was "fired up" upon hearing about the squirrel's death. During a recent rally in North Carolina, Vance criticized the government for allowing illegal immigrants into the US while killing pets.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk also took to X to condemn the squirrel's killing, calling the government a "mindless and heartless killing machine." In another tweet, he uploaded an AI-generated image of the squirrel as Star Wars' Obi-Wan Kenobi.

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Mark Longo rescued Peanut when it was a baby

For the unversed, Peanut had over 530K followers on Instagram. Mark Longo rescued the squirrel seven years ago after it was hit by a car as a baby and nursed it back to health.

The squirrel, known for its affinity for waffles, was released into the wild after it grew stronger but returned to Longo's home days later. Longo then started teaching the squirrel tricks and dressed it in various outfits.

The New York state law dictated that people required a license to keep a squirrel as a pet. Longo said he was looking to certify the squirrel as an "educational animal" before it was euthanized. He started a GoFundMe in the squirrel's honor to donate to P’nuts Freedom Farm, an animal rescue organization.