Peanut The Squirrel’s Proprietor Rips New York for Seizing, Killing Social Media Star

The homeowners of a pet squirrel with a large social media following are going nuclear on authorities officers in New York … accusing the state of abusing energy and losing taxpayer funds to grab and kill Peanut, all due to some nameless claims.

Mark Longo and his spouse, Daniela, joined us on “TMZ Live” Friday and shared their outrage over what they are saying has been a grave injustice … and it acquired emotional.

Mark tells us officers from the New York State Division of Environmental Conservation confirmed up at his doorstep Wednesday with a search warrant signed by 4 state businesses and a choose … treating him like a prison whereas they raided his dwelling in the hunt for Peanut.

Mark says his spouse was questioned about her immigration standing through the search … and one in every of their pet raccoons was taken away too. Each Peanut and the raccoon have since been euthanized because of rabies testing.

Frankly, all of it sounds ridiculous … and Mark says Peanut fortunately lived with him for 7 years, spreading pleasure on the web with humorous and healthful movies, changing into his finest pal within the course of.

Whereas it is technically unlawful to have a pet squirrel in NY, Mark says he wasn’t hiding Peanut — the squirrel has 532,000 followers on IG and over 1,400 posts — and he says nameless complaints about Peanut led state businesses to get a search warrant to tear the animal from his dwelling and kill it.

Preventing again tears and with a transparent sense of anger in his voice, Mark tells us it is inconceivable the state is so involved a few pet squirrel he says was harming nobody … and he thinks it is an instance of every little thing that is damaged in our nation.

Mark says Peanut was the cornerstone of his household and his nonprofit animal rescue, P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary … and he does not know the way he will proceed with out his squirrely pal.