Owner of Influencer Peanut the Squirrel Gives Update on Pet After N.Y. Authorities Seize Animal

Mar. 15, 2025

Mark Longo with Peanut the squirrel.Photo:Peanut the Squirrel/Instagram

Peanut the Squirrel/Instagram

The owner of a beloved squirrel influencer, Peanut, has given an update on the social media star after state authoritiesseized the animal in New York.

In a follow-up post shared on Friday, Nov. 1, Longo thanked fans of Peanut, whose name is also spelled P’Nut or PNUT, for their support and said there is a “small chance” he can get his pet back.

“I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for everybody coming together for this,” Longo began in the video. “I haven’t received any update on Peanut. We’re still in kind of the same waiting stage.”

Longo then continued, “But as we’re waiting, we still have to focus on our non-profit animal rescue, so I can’t thank you all enough for the love and support. It has been a terrible nightmare for me, but we still have 300 animals to take care of, so if you can continue to keep signing the petition and donate if you can, it really means a lot to us.”

“Thank you for sticking with us and my family. We love you all, please continue to spread the word and let’s get Peanut back,” he concluded.

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“We can’t thank all of you enough for the outpouring of support,” Longo captioned the video. “There is a small chance we can get him back home, so please continue to sign the petition (LINK IN BIO) ❤️ I will keep everyone updated. We LOVE you all.”

Longo’s update comes a day after he said in avideoposted on Oct. 31 that he did not know if Peanut “was alive or not.”

Peanut the squirrel.Peanut the Squirrel/Instagram

“I just want to say thank you for the bottom of my heart for all the support yall have showed me and my wife. This is an absolute tragedy, and I’m praying we still have a chance,” he shared in anotherInstagram poston the same day.

In his post on Oct. 30 revealing Peanut had been taken from his home, Longo said he was “in shock, disbelief, and disgusted to the people who did this to PNUT.”

“Today at 10 am Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024… The NY State DEC showed up to my house and took Peanut. He was TAKEN to the EUTHANIZED,” he said in the statement, referring to Peanut as his “best friend” for the last seven years.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, the DEC said it conducted an investigation following “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”

The statement added that the “DEC’s investigation is ongoing, and additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

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In addition to Peanut, the DEC seized an injured raccoon named Fred, according to theAssociated Press. Longo had had the animal for a few months and had hoped to release it back into the wild.

Since Peanut was seized, Longo helpedcreate a Change.org petitionand aGoFundMe campaignto raise money to help “cover legal fees for attorneys who will assist us in addressing the damage caused and ensuring Peanut’s return to his loving home.”

At publication, the fundraiser had raised over $7,000 of its $15,000 goal.

source: people.com