PBA union clears the air on seizure of Peanut the squirrel after social media backlash sparks threats of violence

Pine City, N.Y. — The union which represents the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police has provided details and was calling for calm following social media backlash after ECOs seized a squirrel and raccoon from a man who was caring for the animals without a license.

The story of Peanut the squirrel made national headlines after ECOs on Oct. 30 seized the squirrel and a raccoon named Fred, from Nick Longo, of Pine City, in Chemung County. Longo had been caring for the squirrel at a self-established sanctuary since 2017 and had amassed immense popularity on social media platforms Instagram and TikTok with content centered on animals, mainly the squirrel.

Longo, however, is not a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. A Police Benevolent Association of New York State press release said an investigation was initiated in January after several licensed wildlife rehabilitators filed complaints that Longo was operating an illegal “wildlife sanctuary.”

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ECOs informed Longo that keeping a squirrel is illegal without a wildlife rehabilitator license.

Longo told investigators that the squirrel had been released into the wild, the release said.

Investigators monitored Longo’s social media accounts and determined he had lied to the investigator and had not released the squirrel into the wild. He also had taken in the raccoon, which also appeared in social media postings. Longo’s social media posts were the basis for a search warrant issued by a judge.

The Associated Press reported Longo had stated that DEC raided his home without a search warrant. “I was treated as if I was a drug dealer and they were going for drugs and guns,” he said.

The PBA release, however, said media reports portrayed the seizure as being carried out by “10 to 12 agents of the state” – making it sound as if it were a tactical raid.

“In truth,” the report said, “there were three uniformed Environmental Conservation Officers who were responsible for securing an 80-acre compound, several plain clothes investigators who carried out the search pursuant to the warrant, and three DEC wildlife employees who were not police officers.”

The PBA report said the squirrel bit one of the DEC civilian wildlife biologists through two pairs of protective gloves. The animals were turned over to the Chemung County Department of Health, which made the determination to humanely euthanize both as it is the only way to test for rabies.

While squirrels do not typically carry rabies, the cohabitation with the raccoon opened the possibility of animal-to-animal transmission, which placed the biologist in potential danger.

“This was unfortunate,” the report said, “but the decision was not made by the Environmental Conservation Officers, investigators or DEC wildlife biologists participating in the service of this warrant.”

DEC is conducting an investigation into the handling of the incident.

The PBA, meanwhile, said social media misinformation had sparked bomb and death threats to ENCON officers and DEC civilian staff, including threats to blow up regional DEC offices, employee’s homes and even targeting an elected judge.

“The public has been greatly misled by a barrage of social media messaging that painted a partial picture of the investigation and triggered violent threats fueled by misinformation,” the PBA release said. “Our Environmental Conservation Officers understand and accept that they risk their lives every time they begin a shift, but they should never fear for their safety or that of their family for doing the job they have taken an oath to do. We ask that the public keep in mind that these people are their friends, family, and neighbors and do not deserve to live in fear for upholding the law.”

Longo said he adopted the squirrel in 2017 after he saw its mother get hit by a car in New York City. Soon after, he posted videos of it playing with his cat. Internet fame followed. He sought to get the squirrel certified as an educational animal. DEC offers a Wildlife Rehabilitator Exam often twice a year, most recently in August.

Established in 2011, the PBA of New York State is the exclusive bargaining agent for the New York State University (SUNY) Police, the New York State Environmental Conservation Police, the New York State Park Police, and the New York State Forest Rangers.