Peanut, a squirrel renowned for its social media presence, made headlines after being taken from its owner in upstate New York and subsequently euthanized. A county representative confirmed Tuesday that the squirrel tested negative for rabies.

On October 30, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) confiscated Peanut along with a raccoon named Fred from Mark Longo’s residence and animal sanctuary located in Pine City, which lies near the Pennsylvania border. The agency acted after receiving reports alleging that wildlife was being kept in a potentially unsafe and illegal manner. However, the officials involved have faced a wave of backlash and threats of violence following their actions.

The DEC, alongside officials from Chemung County, stated that the decision to euthanize the animals was made to facilitate rabies testing after Peanut had bitten a DEC employee as part of the investigation. During a press conference outlining the county’s involvement in the situation, Chemung County Executive Chris Moss shared that the tests for both animals returned negative results, and he emphasized that the county cooperated with the state and adhered to established protocols.

Peanut rose to internet fame, amassing tens of thousands of followers across platforms like Instagram and TikTok over the past seven years. Mark Longo took Peanut in after witnessing its mother get struck by a vehicle in New York City. Longo mentioned that he was in the process of obtaining certification to designate Peanut as an educational animal when the seizure occurred.

Reacting to the test results, Longo expressed that the outcome came as no surprise to him and publicly criticized the government’s actions. “It’s no real big shocker to me, considering I lived with Peanut for seven-and-a-half years and Fred for five months. I’m not foaming at the mouth,” he remarked. “I knew the test results were going to be negative.”

In response to the controversy, the DEC issued a statement indicating that an internal investigation is underway, and they are in the process of reviewing their policies and procedures.