“The internet is outraged after New York decided that the proper way to handle a complaint about a man keeping a squirrel as a pet would be to come to his home and kill the animal,” reports Not The Bee. That outrage is at odds with the claim made by progressive politicians, that the government just carries out the will of the people. “Government is simply the name we give to the things we choose to do together,” claimed longtime Democratic Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts.
Mark Longo, a New York resident, rescued a baby squirrel after witnessing its mother being hit by a car, and then raised it, naming it Peanut. It lived in his home for seven years. “Peanut had over half a million Instagram followers and was a viral sensation. But some” animal-rights nut called New York State to complain, and “tragedy ensued,” notes Not the Bee.
In seizing the squirrel, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation stated that it was illegal for young wildlife to be kept as pets. The Department notes that after being released, “rescued animals” “may return to places where people live, only to be attacked by domestic animals or to be hit by cars.”
But that obviously doesn’t apply to the squirrel it seized, which was being properly cared for and was doing just fine.
New York State killed the squirrel after the frightened animal bit one of the meddling government employees who seized it from its home. USA Today reports that
Two days after he was seized from his home in New York, Peanut the Squirrel has been euthanized.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health announced through a statement on Friday afternoon that both a squirrel and raccoon confiscated from a residence on Wednesday had been euthanized to test for rabies. The statement said a person involved in the confiscation investigation was bitten by the squirrel.
The squirrel did not need to be seized in the first place. It was living in an animal sanctuary. As USA Today notes, Longo set up “P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in Pine City,” New York. “The nonprofit serves as a ‘haven where neglected and homeless animals receive a second chance at life’…18 horses, one mini horse, four cows, three alpacas, one parrot, one pig and two geese call the sanctuary home.” Before the animal sanctuary was set up, the squirrel lived in harmony with Longo and his cat for five years.
