A forgotten almond brings tears to the eyes of Peanut, the squirrel’s grieving owner.
Mark Longo, whose beloved internet sensation was Euthanized by New York State officials After a controversial raid on his upland farm, he said it was P’Nut’s favorite snack.
“P’Nuts put his nuts all over my house, on my pants and my clothes,” Longo told The Post during an exclusive interview this week. “It’s just a little reminder that, you know, he’s always here.”
Longo and his wife, Daniela, mourning from the state The Department of Environmental Protection raided his 350-acre farm and animal shelter near Elmira, and euthanized P’Nut and his raccoon friend Fred due to alleged rabies concerns.
Long has demanded answers, blaming the “rat” who supplied the information to the DEC, speculating that it was someone jealous of the couple’s financial success.
P’nut went viral online, gaining a huge following, and also helped drive traffic Longos’ banging OnlyFans Page – who funded the couple’s purchase of the non-profit “P’Nuts Freedom Farm” animal sanctuary.
The upstate farm has hundreds of rescue animals, including ducks, chickens, alpacas, sheep, donkeys, pigs and rabbits — but P’Nut and Fred were their household pets.
Longo explained that it is illegal to keep squirrels and raccoons indoors, but he has the option to keep P’Nut – whom he has had for more than seven years – and Fred, who moved in about four months ago, out. There was no “heart”.
The DEC has stated that the raid was in response to complaints about raccoons, and claimed that Peanut bit one of the officers during the raid.
But the agency has not released the results of the rabies test conducted on both animals.
Governor Kathy Hochul’s office also did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Post.
P’Nut’s death has sparked a flood of donations with an online fundraising page Earning over $158,000 For the people.
“I don’t want his life to be known for this,” Mark Longo told The Post of P’Nut. “I want his life, you know, to be a happy, joyful time for everybody, so that he can look back at what he’s done through the years and make this place something that, you know To continue his legacy.”
He said finding the peanut snack in his pocket was a shock.
“I wanted to bring this to attention because it would probably make me cry,” he said.
(Tags to translate)Metro(T)US News(T)Animal Rights(T)Farms(T)New York(T)Squirrel(T)Upstate New York