New York Republicans are pushing a new law to protect animals after a beloved pet squirrel and internet star named P’Nut was taken and killed by state environmental officers late last year.
The bill, called “Peanut’s Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act,” would require a 72-hour waiting period before the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) can euthanize any seized animal. It would also give animal owners the chance for a hearing before the state takes or puts down their animals.
P’Nut and another pet squirrel named Fred were taken from Mark and Daniela Longo’s upstate farm last October after someone filed an anonymous complaint. Both animals were killed and tested for rabies, and both tests came back negative.
The squirrel had a huge following on social media, with P’Nut accruing nearly one million followers to watch content of the critter and his family.
Once news spread on P’Nut’s Instagram page, backlash over DEC’s actions spread like wildfire online. At the time, everyone from Elon Musk to President Trump weighed in on the killing of the dear family pets.
Musk referred to the killing back in November as “the whole squirrel thing” while on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz (R-Nassau), who is sponsoring the bill, said it’s about fairness. “This is about due process,” he said, adding that animals should not be killed unless they’re an immediate danger.
PEANUT THE PET SQUIRREL TAKEN AWAY BY NEW YORK STATE OFFICIALS FROM ADOPTED HOME, MAY BE EUTHANIZED
The Longos, who run an animal sanctuary, say they were never told why their pets were taken. They hope the new bill will stop similar cases from happening again.
Mark Longo said of the new bill: “I sit here trying not to cry, but passing this law will be a movement to make sure that animal rights are not overlooked anymore.”
Peanut or “P’Nut” was only a baby when the Longos rescued him. The squirrel adapted to his adoptive human family after his real mother was run over by a car when he was just five weeks old.
“They were not dangerous. They were not sick. They were not wild threats roaming the streets,” said Assemblyman Blumencranz. “They were rescues — loved, nurtured, and safe.”
Supporters of the legislation say it’s a common-sense move to protect both animals and their owners.
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“Here is the cold, hard truth. It is too little, too late. Words don’t save P’Nut and Fred, and words won’t save the next animal, or the next family, unless we change the law.”
An attorney who represents the Longo family did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
