Internet sensation Peanut, a little grey squirrel, was very active on Instagram and TikTok with hundreds of thousands of followers loving his videos before New York officials seized him from his home and euthanized him this week.
On the account for the seven-year-old Peanut are thousands of posts of the squirrel with his guardian Mark Longo ranging from the two munching on waffles to Peanut decked out wearing a Santa hat while drawing attention to Longo’s non-profit animal sanctuary and rescue operation, “P’Nut’s Freedom Farm.”
Some of the best videos that stood out showed the very docile, trained squirrel clearly having the time of his life before he was seized by six officials from New York state’s Department of Environmental Conservation to be “tested for rabies,” according to WTEM.
The first video is dated April 17, 2017, when the squirrel was rescued by Longo after he saw the squirrel’s mom hit by a car, the New York Post noted.
From there, the videos show the little guy becoming instantly close with his guardian as the two enjoy going on walks together, playing games, and even getting kisses and love from Longo.
In one crazy video from February 2020, Longo calls Peanut to come to him while he’s standing pretty far away. The squirrel understands the instruction and launches far into the air, flying and landing on his arm perfectly. He captioned the post, “Alright hooman, I think it’s time the both of us stop being chunky and get back to that summer body long jumps for cardio.”
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In another video dated September 2021, we see Peanut showing off just how trained he was as Longo leads him around the house with a ball on a string. The caption next to the post read, “my hooman decided it’s time for me to start running more. There better be a snack at the end of this run!”
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In so many of the posts, Peanut is just hitching a ride on Longo’s shoulder as the two pal around or he sits in his guardian’s hand while eating a snack. There’s even videos of him hitching rides while sitting on top of his guardian’s hat checking out the world.
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One post made in November 2023 shows a staged set-up of Peanut throwing a waffle party with waffles, oats, and peanut butter without Longo. The caption next to the post — with more than 44 thousand likes — read, “I never get invited.”
In a video made five days ago, the two are just hanging out at his animal sanctuary with Peanut eating a waffle while he sits on Longo’s hat.
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The next post is after DEC officials seized him and Longo’s raccoon named Fred after the agency said it had received numerous calls about the animals living in the house. The heartbreaking post from Longo talked about how he’s lost his best friend, calling it a “tragedy.”
“Well internet, you WON. You took one of the most amazing animals away from me because of your selfishness,” Longo wrote. “To the group of people who called DEC, there’s a special place in hell for you.”