Social media sensations Peanut, the squirrel, and Fred, the raccoon, have been marked for loss of life and decapitation days earlier than they have been seized from their proprietor in New York, a county official has confirmed. The 2 pets additionally examined unfavourable for rabies, the official added.
The state brokers picked them up from their proprietor in a raid on October 30, sparking main outrage on social media and accusations of presidency overreach.
The state officers suggested the county to euthanise Peanut and Fred seven days earlier than they have been taken into custody by the authorities from their ‘unofficial’ caretaker Mark Longo.
The Division of Environmental Conservation stated the squirrel bit an agent on the time of the raid, sparking the necessity for a rabies take a look at.
“Wildlife can’t be confined like home animals, and if there was an publicity, the animals would must be examined for rabies,” the State Division of Well being wrote to the county on October 23.
The message sealed Peanut and Fred’s fates because the rabies take a look at required decapitation in order that their heads might be opened for his or her mind samples.
The timeline exhibits that after a number of days on October 29, the Division of Environmental Conservation got here up with plans to raid Longo’s residents. On the identical time, it was coordinating the animals’ euthanisations with Elmira Animal Management.
This contradicts the sooner declare that the squirrel prompted his personal euthanisation.
When proven the timeline, Longo informed The New York Publish, “I am in utter shock… I would like to present you a correct assertion, however for now, I will simply say ‘Wow.’”
Longo, who earlier claimed the 2 animals have been rabies-free, stated he was but to obtain any phrase from the officers about them. The operation by DEC was set in movement when it bought 4 complaints about Longo retaining two animals with out a license.
“DEC is conscious of a person in Chemung County who is understood to illegally possess an grownup gray squirrel and at the very least 4 younger raccoons. They could even be in possession of different unlawful wildlife species,” the DEC earlier stated.
With greater than 5 lakh followers on Instagram, the domesticated black squirrel had followers world wide.