Peanut was a beloved pet, but is it legal to own a squirrel?

Fans have been in an uproar since internet sensation Peanut the squirrel was confiscated from his owner's home and euthanized by New York officials this week for allegedly unfairly killing a beloved family member.

Peanut and a raccoon named Fred were both kidnapped Wednesday from Mark Longo's home in Pine City in southern New York on the Pennsylvania border, the county health department and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement. potentially unsafe housing of wild animals that could transmit rabies and the illegal keeping of wild animals as pets.

Two days later, the two authorities announced that the two animals were euthanized to be tested for rabies, sparking outrage on social media following Longo and Peanut. Longo and Peanut's fans and even a lawmaker have denounced the harshness and violence with which they say a raid was carried out on the home and the decision to euthanize the animals without their owner having any right to do so.

It is not legal to keep wild animals as pets in many parts of the country, but people with licenses as wildlife rehabilitators can legally care for them in New York as long as they plan to release them back into the wild once they are well. It's not clear whether Longo had gone through the process or begun the process of becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, but he had also founded a nonprofit called P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The whole ordeal is embarrassing New York's rehabilitation community, said squirrel rehabilitator Rachel Tindal, who runs the Rochester-area Chip & Chloe Squirrel Rescue, named for the first two squirrels she took into care. Tindal said she hopes the peanut ordeal doesn't deter other people from obtaining a license to do this important work.

“The way this case was treated was every rehab clinician’s worst nightmare,” Tindal told USA TODAY. “We do this work because we love animals…We don’t get paid for it. We sacrifice our time, we sacrifice our sleep, our money to do this, to save animals.”

The beginnings of Peanut the squirrel

Longo first took in Peanut seven years ago when he found the squirrel as a baby. Longo saw Peanut's mother get hit by a car and die, so when he couldn't find a rescue organization that would take him in, Longo took Peanut in. It was originally intended to be temporary so Peanut could live outdoors again when he was able, but Longo told USA TODAY in 2022 that Peanut was not doing well when he was released and he hurt himself while trying to live outdoors live, injured Longo brought him back.

Longo also took in other animals after founding the nonprofit last year. Eighteen horses, a miniature horse, four cows, three alpacas, a parrot, a pig and two geese call the sanctuary home, according to its website.

Longo told CBS New York that when DEC officers arrived at his home, officers used excessive force in their search and in the abduction of the squirrel and raccoon. He said the raid lasted several hours.

Officials said the squirrel bit one of the investigators involved in the seizure and both captured animals were later euthanized to be tested for rabies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a rabies test involves a “complete tissue cross-section of both the brainstem and cerebellum,” and there are no approved methods to test animals for rabies while they are still alive.

While raccoons are known carriers of rabies, squirrels rarely contract rabies, according to the CDC. In fact, no human has ever been infected with rabies from a squirrel in the United States, the D.C. Department of Health said.

Is it legal to keep squirrels and other wild animals as pets?

In many states, it is illegal to keep squirrels as pets. In some states, such as Idaho, certain species of squirrels are allowed to be kept as pets, but only if you follow a strict permitting process.

In New York, where Longo and Tindal from the squirrel rescue live, squirrels are not allowed to be pets. If you find a squirrel or other animal that needs help in this condition, you should find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to care for it and ultimately release it back into the wild, Tindal said.

Still, Tindal said many people keep squirrels as pets “in the lowlands.” It's common for someone to come across an injured squirrel or similar animal and want to help, she said. Because licensed rehabilitators are all volunteers and receive no government funding, it can be difficult to find someone willing to take in another squirrel. People end up keeping them and caring for the squirrels themselves, and usually after a while they realize that squirrels don't make suitable pets.

Some squirrels fail rehabilitation and are deemed unsuitable for return to the wild because they have become imprinted on the people who care for them and never develop the survival skills typical of squirrels. But for a squirrel to become as affectionate and loving as Peanut is very rare, Tindal said.

“Pet squirrels are never a good idea,” Tindal said. “They are very destructive, aggressive and very difficult to care for in captivity.”

But in those rare cases, she said, squirrels can form strong bonds with people. They are intelligent and can solve problems; have little attitude and can even be more lovable than a cat or dog.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida is one of the few states that does not require a permit to keep a squirrel as a pet. That's why, Tindal said, she's heard of people leaving their homes throughout their lives to move to Florida to legally keep the squirrels, who end up becoming like family.

Raccoons may have even stricter regulations because they are considered carriers of rabies and are therefore more likely to carry and transmit rabies. Even licensed wildlife rehabilitators must meet additional requirements for dealing with raccoons in New York and many other states.

How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator

The process for legally assisting certain types of restricted wildlife varies by state, but virtually anyone who wants to help rehabilitate a squirrel or similar animal in the United States will need approval from their state and possibly the federal government.

In New York, wildlife rehabilitators need a license to take in squirrels in need of help. They only last a few months before they have to be released back into the wild, Tindal said.

“When we get our wildlife rehabilitation licenses, we will all be very informed that we are not allowed to keep wildlife as pets under any circumstances,” she said.

If the squirrel has ongoing medical or behavioral problems that make it “unreleasable,” it can either be euthanized or continue to live in captivity – but the rehabilitator must undertake a much more intensive process to maintain a non-releasable animal.

Tindal said she is now going through this additional process to continue caring for Cole, a squirrel with medical issues that have stunted his growth. Cole never developed squirrel behavior such as aggression toward humans, she said.

To keep a squirrel longer, a rehabilitator must apply for a permit from the federal government, and those officials send investigators to examine the animal's living environment and ensure it is safe. Keepers are required to provide the animal with regular veterinary care, and a veterinarian must write a letter explaining why the animal cannot be released. In New York, the rehabilitator must then apply for another special state license.

The entire process could take a long time, Tindal said. “It's a pretty daunting process, going through all the paperwork, and then I can imagine someone being intimidated by that or even scared because as soon as you start the application process, they know you have this animal.”

“We were ready to comply. We were ready to do the paperwork. We were about to do that,” Longo told CBS New York. “We needed a little guidance from the DEC.”

Contributor: Greta Cross, USA TODAY

Peanut was a beloved pet, but is it legal to own a squirrel?

The beginnings of Peanut the squirrel

Is it legal to keep squirrels and other wild animals as pets?

How to Become a Wildlife Rehabilitator

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