Social media sensations Peanut, the squirrel, and Fred, the raccoon, were marked for death and decapitation days before they were seized from their owner in New York, a county official has confirmed. The two pets also tested negative for rabies, the official added.
The state agents picked them up from their owner in a raid on October 30, sparking major outrage on social media and accusations of government overreach.
The state officials advised the county to euthanise Peanut and Fred seven days before they were taken into custody by the authorities from their 'unofficial' caretaker Mark Longo.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said the squirrel bit an agent at the time of the raid, sparking the need for a rabies test.
“Wildlife cannot be confined like domestic animals, and if there was an exposure, the animals would need to be tested for rabies,” the State Department of Health wrote to the county on October 23.
The message sealed Peanut and Fred's fates as the rabies test required decapitation so that their heads could be opened for their brain samples.
The timeline shows that after a few days on October 29, the Department of Environmental Conservation came up with plans to raid Longo's residents. At the same time, it was coordinating the animals' euthanisations with Elmira Animal Control.
This contradicts the earlier claim that the squirrel prompted his own euthanisation.
When shown the timeline, Longo told The New York Post, "I'm in utter shock... I'd like to give you a proper statement, but for now, I'll just say ‘Wow.'”
Longo, who earlier claimed the two animals were rabies-free, said he was yet to receive any word from the officials about them. The operation by DEC was set in motion when it got four complaints about Longo keeping two animals without a license.
“DEC is aware of an individual in Chemung County who is known to illegally possess an adult grey squirrel and at least four young raccoons. They may also be in possession of other illegal wildlife species,” the DEC earlier said.
With more than five lakh followers on Instagram, the domesticated black squirrel had fans around the world.
