Peanut became famous over seven years ago, building an audience of more than 900,000 followers on Instagram at the height of his popularity.
His rise to internet fame began when his owners, married couple Mark Longo and Daniela Bittner, started dressing him in costumes and teaching him playful tricks that quickly captured hearts online.
Longo announced the heartbreaking news on Instagram, writing: “Well internet, you WON.”
“You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness. To the group of people who called DEC, there’s a special place in hell for you.”
“For the last 7 years, Peanut has been my best friend. He’s been the center of my world and many of yours for so long, I don’t know how to process this, emotionally.”
At the time, the county’s health department and the DEC said they had received reports of “potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets,” according to USA Today.
While it is illegal to keep wild animals such as squirrels and raccoons as pets in New York, DEC officials claimed that Peanut bit an agent through thick leather gloves during the alleged five-hour raid, prompting rabies testing for both animals.
The state later confirmed both rabies tests were negative. However, the lawsuit says the DEC never apologized or returned the bodies.
Longo also claims the raid was a premeditated “target” and “assassination,” pointing out that squirrels “do not transmit rabies.”
He alleges that nine officers stormed his home, ransacking it for hours, and insists that Peanut and Fred were not merely euthanized but “executed.”
“Filing these lawsuits will allow us to create a movement,” Longo told USA Today. “This was a heinous act by an overpowering government who overreached.”
“As an animal lover, you love your animal, and you do whatever it takes to protect them,” he continued.
Nora Constance Marino, the attorney for Longo and Bittner, added: “We hope to obtain justice, not just for my clients and the violation of their rights, but for Peanut and Fred, and all animals. We hope that Peanut’s and Fred’s deaths will not have been in vain.”
Peanut’s fame extended well beyond Instagram, with appearances in monetized social media content, on OnlyFans, and in various cameo roles, according to court filings.
