How did a cowboy-hat-wearing squirrel upend the enforcement of New York's wildlife and environmental laws?
It all starts with a man named Mark Longo, who said he came across a baby squirrel on a street in Midtown about seven years ago.
Longo decided to bring the orphan home. He named him Peanut.
Fast forward to Oct. 30, 2024 — days before the presidential election — when a dozen New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officers, investigators and staffers showed up at Longo's home: a 311-acre animal sanctuary upstate where Longo, who'd also gained a following as an OnlyFans performer, was keeping more than 300 critters, including horses, ducks, goats, dogs, a raccoon and Peanut, who was now a social media star.
The agents had a warrant to search the property for the raccoon and Peanut, both of which were considered wildlife and illegal to keep as pets. |
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What happened next likely rings a bell: Peanut was euthanized and tested for rabies (negative), and became an overnight don't-tread-on-me folk hero. Elon Musk and JD Vance decried the raid as an example of government overreach, and threats — both from Trump supporters and fervent animal rights activists — starting pouring in at the DEC.
But the saga didn't go away after the election.
WNYC & Gothamist reporter Jon Campbell's review of hundreds of documents and voicemails obtained through an open-records request, along with interviews, reveals how the backlash to the squirrel’s killing continues to hobble New York's enforcement of hunting and animal safety laws.
Listen to the NYC NOW episode here, and read the story.
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