00:00Peanut was the best thing that ever happened to us and we got confirmation that they put him down.
00:05Peanut the squirrel was orphaned seven years ago when his mother was hit by a car.
00:08New York couple Mark and Daniela Longo took the baby squirrel in and raised him themselves.
00:12Over the course of seven years, Peanut amassed over 500,000 followers on Instagram and even
00:16more on TikTok when the platform launched. In fact, Peanut became the first squirrel to gain
00:191 million followers, capitalizing on Peanut's fame. Mark and Daniela launched Peanut's Freedom
00:23Farm Animal Sanctuary using the funding from social media. Mark and Daniela's farm housed
00:26and cared for 300 different animals. One of these animals was Fred the raccoon. After receiving
00:30multiple anonymous complaints, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
00:33seized the squirrel to test for rabies. They were kept outside their house for five hours,
00:36required police escorts to use the bathroom, and they prevented Mark from feeding his animals for
00:39the whole day. On top of this, the DEC allegedly began inquiring about Daniela's immigration status.
00:43They also searched the house and asked Mark if he had cameras inside. The DEC took Peanut away
00:47along with his friend Fred the raccoon. They subsequently euthanized both animals to test
00:50for rabies but didn't tell Mark until a press release was put out. Shortly after, Mark and
00:53Daniela released videos announcing Peanut's death and calling for the DEC to be held accountable.
00:57Social media exploded with memes in support of Peanut and Fred.
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