Peanut, who has amassed more than half a million Instagram followers, was euthanized by officials to be tested for rabies.

Peanut, who has amassed more than half a million Instagram followers, was euthanized by officials to be tested for rabies.

Peanut, the Instagram-famous squirrel that was seized from its owner’s home Wednesday, has been euthanized by New York state officials.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took Peanut, as well as a raccoon named Fred, on Wednesday after the agency learned the animals were “sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies," it said in a joint statement with the Chemung County Department of Health.

Both Peanut and Fred were euthanized to test for rabies, the statement said. It was unclear when the animals were euthanized.

  • borf@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    9111·
    13 days ago

    No, the cruelty is the point. The kind of people who made this happen have common sense just like the rest of us, that 7-year-old squirrel didn’t have rabies. They refuse to make exceptions or use common sense because they specifically want to hurt others.

    • rishado@lemmy.world
      52·
      11 days ago

      I feel like these are kneejerk reactions to the headline. Think with your brain not your heart (I’m not trying to be an ass, forget about the cutesy animals and think about this guy owning wild animals and exploiting them for money on social media) The cruelty is not the point. You can’t just own wild animals without a license and without veterinary care…

          • AlphaAutist@lemmy.world
            11·
            10 days ago

            lol calm down there kid no need to get upset. I thought you needed a license to run an Animal Shelter, but I guess not. Not being disingenuous I just misunderstood.

        • rishado@lemmy.world
          22·
          11 days ago

          And it specifically does say he was in the process of getting a license for peanuts the squirrel, but he also has been doing this for 7 years. And only now was he in that process.