New York authorities euthanize star squirrel on Instagram

New York:

Authorities in New York said that on Friday, a squirrel named Peanut, who became an Internet celebrity, was put to sleep after biting a government official on the way out.

With 537,000 followers on Instagram, the domesticated black squirrel had fans around the world who marveled at his exploits, such as biting into wafers and shedding tiny suits.

New York resident Mark Longo said he rescued the animal after seeing its mother hit by a car and bottle-fed the cub before trying to release it into the wild.

However, the animal lost part of its tail and returned to Longo, lived with him for seven years and appeared in posts on the Instagram account peanut_the_squirrel12.

“Internet, you WIN. You took one of the most amazing animals from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called (the New York State Department of Environmental Protection), there is a special place in hell for you,” Longo wrote on Instagram.

He said he was “shocked, dismayed and disgusted … for the past seven years, Peanut has been my best friend.”

The Chemung County Department of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement Friday that Peanut, along with the raccoon that lives with Longo, were illegally possessed and were euthanized to test for rabies.

“On October 30, DEC removed a raccoon and a squirrel that were living with humans, creating the possibility of human rabies transmission,” the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) said.

“In addition, the squirrel bit a person involved in the investigation. Both animals were euthanized to test for rabies.”

The agency urged everyone who came into contact with the animals to consult a doctor.

Longo wrote that the “fight continues” and urged supporters to donate to his legal bills and animal sanctuary plans.

(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)