First, conservation officers in New York seized a beloved social media star, Peanut the squirrel, and euthanized it in an incident that has become a symbol of government overreach. Now, they are weighing whether to bring felony firearms charges against Peanut’s owner, Mark Longo, according to a report. 

During the raid that culminated in Peanut and a raccoon named Fred being euthanized to test for rabies, which it turned out they did not have, conservation officers say they discovered an unregistered rifle.

The Albany Times Union reports officers say the rifle had a shorter barrel than what is legal, and it did not have a stock. The firearm also qualified as a pistol due to its configuration. However, officials say Mr. Longo did not have a rifle or pistol permit. 

Officers had to put the search on hold for several hours as they asked for their search warrant to be amended so they could seize the firearm. The department is weighing whether to bring charges but has not made a decision nearly a month after the raid.

The DEC did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication, and neither did Mr. Longo. 

The saga began in October when DEC officers searched Mr. Longo’s home in Chemung County after allegedly receiving anonymous complaints that Peanut and Fred were being kept illegally and that they were potentially unsafe.

Peanut was a social media star with an Instagram account that garnered more than 600,000 followers as he appeared in videos performing tricks, eating treats, and wearing hats.

Mr. Longo runs an animal refuge named after Peanut, the P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary. A description of the refuge’s website says the famous critter was rescued seven years ago when Mr. Longo found him with “half of his tail” missing from a “brutal attack” and decided to take care of the squirrel at home instead of releasing him wounded into the wild. 

In New York, it is illegal to keep young wildlife as pets because they are “not well-suited for life in captivity. Plus, they may carry diseases that can be given to people.” However, Mr. Longo says he was trying to get a certification for Peanut to be certified as an educational animal. 

On October 30, more than six officers arrived at Mr. Longo’s home following the complaints about Peanut and conducted a search. 

Mr. Longo told the Associated Press the officers treated the search, which reportedly lasted hours, “as if I was a drug dealer, and they were going for drugs and guns.” 

After the search, the DEC put out a bland statement, saying that its officers “seized a raccoon and squirrel sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies.” The conservation department also alleged that Peanut bit one of its officers, and they then decided to test the squirrel and Fred, the raccoon, for rabies, and they euthanized the animals to do so. 

Mr. Longo denied the allegation that Peanut bit any of the officers and noted that they were wearing thick gloves during the search.

While conservation officers said they were concerned about rabies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it is rare for squirrels to get rabies. And WTEM at Syracuse said it could not find a “verifiable case of rabies in a squirrel” in New York. 

On November 12, officials said it turned out Peanut did not have rabies. The Chemung County executive, Chris Moss, said he understood that “people want to vent,” but “at the end of the day, I think you have to realize the seriousness of humans contracting rabies.”

Despite officials raising concerns about the risks of humans getting rabies, Mr. Longo criticized the search, “It was a 10-month investigation for a squirrel and a raccoon. We have murderers and rapists running the streets, and they didn’t get investigations like this.”

The incident stirred up outrage on social media as users questioned why the raid took place and why Peanut and Fred had to be euthanized. And it became a symbol of government overreach in the final days of the 2024 election. Supporters of President Trump shared AI-generated images of the president-elect embracing Peanut and the critter wearing MAGA hats. 

The DEC is reportedly conducting an “internal investigation” into the search. It has also implemented a new policy that requires officers to receive a sign-off from its commissioner and general counsel before conducting a search.