Poor Peanut May Not Have Fared Better Under Massachusetts Law

Peanut the Squirrel's life was snuffed out in Pine City, New York recently in what some say may have been a case of government overreach, or at least government overreaction.

Peanut, who at the time of his (her?) death on November 1, 2024, had over 600,000 Instagram followers, was a cute little squirrel, as far as squirrels go. The number of followers has now surpassed 700,000.

Pine City's Mark Longo kept Peanut as a pet for seven years before the State of New York stepped in and euthanized the little guy, something Longo called a "disgrace."

Longo told NewsNation's Chris Cuomo, "What happened today and what transpired throughout this week has been nothing short of a tragedy and a disgrace to the New York State."

"We used resources from the state to kill a squirrel and raccoon and raid my house as if I was a drug dealer," Longo told the network.

USA Today reported that Peanut "was euthanized to test for rabies," according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health.

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A post shared by Peanut The Squirrel (@peanut_the_squirrel12)

A statement from the Department claimed two days before the state seized Peanut there were "multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and illegal keeping of wildlife as pets," according to USA Today.

Peanut allegedly bit "a person involved in the confiscation effort."

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I'm afraid Peanut would not have fared much better had he lived in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) says possessing a pet squirrel in the Bay State without a license is illegal.

MassWildlfe considers squirrels a "game species" and subject to regulated hunting seasons and management programs.

"Massachusetts has strict laws that limit the types of animals that can be kept as pets," MassWildlife said.

Geez, where does a squirrel go to catch a break around here?

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