Peanut the Squirrel, the social media star confiscated from its owner and euthanized to be tested for rabies, came up negative for the deadly virus.
The revelation on Tuesday capped a “surreal” experience for New York owner Mark Longo, who said he lost his squirrel — and his pet raccoon, Fred — just as he was filing the requisite paperwork to make them legal. He said he knew they didn’t have rabies since he’d lived with Peanut for more than seven years and Fred for five months.
“It’s no real big shocker to me,” Longo said. “I’m not foaming at the mouth. I knew the test results were going to be negative.”
He blamed the New York government for the innocent animals’ deaths and said he planned to take legal action.
The animals had been confiscated on Oct. 30 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation from Longo’s home and animal sanctuary in Pine City, a rural community near the border with Pennsylvania.
During the investigation, Peanut allegedly bit a DEC worker, which led to both animals being euthanized for rabies testing.
Officials had seized the furballs after receiving complaints that wildlife was being kept illegally, and possibly unsafely. While agency and county officials said they had followed protocol, they have since been threatened for their actions.
Chemung County Executive Chris Moss revealed the negative test results during a press conference about the county’s role in the animal tale.
“I realize people want to vent,” he said, according to NBC News. “But at the end of the day I think you have to realize the seriousness of humans contracting rabies.”
State law mandates licensing for anyone rehabilitating wildlife such as squirrels, and stipulates that domesticated wild animals must be registered as educational. Longo maintained he was in the middle of doing just that when the animals were seized.
“We were ready to comply, we were ready to get the paperwork, we were in the process of doing that,” Longo told CBS News earlier this month. “We needed a little bit of guidance from the DEC.”
With News Wire Services
