An Upstate New York man fears his pet squirrel was decapitated after state brokers seized the rodent from his house – as a funeral is ready for the internet-famous creature.
P’Nut’s grieving proprietor Mark Longo advised The Submit he’s planning a lawsuit in opposition to the state Division of Environmental Conservation after they raided his house, took the squirrel away and euthanized it to check for rabies.
“I’m hoping to provide him a correct burial,” Longo advised The Submit of P’Nut’s final rites, which will likely be held by way of a completely functioning human funeral house that provided its area freed from cost.
“However seven days later the physique hasn’t been returned. No outcomes of rabies exams have been given.”
The DEC claimed it was compelled to carry out rabies exams on P’Nut and Longo’s pet racoon named Fred — and people exams require a pattern from the topic’s mind.
It’s a prospect Longo shudders to consider, and one he’s able to sue over.
“That is a lot larger than a squirrel and a raccoon. That is about authorities overreach,” he mentioned. “We wish justice for what transpired at my house. You violated my house. You assassinated my animals.”
P’Nut — a squirrel with a penchant for proportional cowboy hats — was raised by Longo and his spouse of their house for seven years since they rescued him as an orphaned pup.
After rehabilitating the helpless animal for eight months they launched him — however he refused to go away, so that they took him into their house full time, in keeping with the couple.
In these years the squirrel amassed a following on social media, and impressed the Longos to relocate from Connecticut and open a 350-acre animal sanctuary upstate in Pine Metropolis.
However in October that every one got here crashing down when the DEC confirmed up in response to an nameless criticism concerning the Longos housing P’Nut and Fred of their house, and after tearing the home aside left with the animals. P’Nut supposedly bit one of many brokers on the hand in the course of the operation, prompting the DEC to euthanize each animals.
And Longo hasn’t heard a phrase from the DEC since.
“I acquired wind of my animals being murdered by way of a information station,” Longo mentioned. “I, as a New York State citizen, acquired my animals murdered by my very own authorities, and my very own authorities couldn’t name me to inform me what occurred. I needed to learn it in a newspaper.
“Any individual must be held accountable for the large overreach in energy,” he added.
Longo has already retained an lawyer, Nora Marino, and hopes anyone who has had an identical scenario with the DEC to get in contact as they put together their lawsuit.
“If it’s occurred to you — if anybody it’s occurred to — please attain out, we have to name for motion,” Longo mentioned.
“What’s stopping common Joe from calling and complaining about your neighbor now? In case you complain sufficient can you get a search warrant? When does it finish?”
Over the following few days, nonetheless, Longo is simply targeted on laying his furry associates to relaxation, with a service presumably going down at an Elmira funeral house as quickly as Saturday.
“This could have by no means occurred to start with. However in a approach, I’m glad it did. As a result of it gave Peanut the voice to make clear what’s occurring in our authorities,” he mentioned.
The DEC declined to remark and cited ongoing litigation when reached by The Submit.