Peanut the squirrel was found orphaned by a kind couple who raised him in Pine City, New York. The finder Mark Longo and his wife tried to release him but he was too acclimated to humans so they kept him. They made a social media page about him wearing hats, acting like a pet which garnered lots of fans and attention. They started P'Nut's Freedom Farm an animal sanctuary. Peanut got the attention of the local Fish & Game Department. New York State Department of Environmental Conversation (DEC) got a warrant then went and took him October 30, 2024 and killed him. They did not cite Longo or give him notice to appear for formal charges. They killed Peanut and a raccoon stating he bit someone and could have rabies. Just fyi any mammal can get and carry rabies. It's extremely rare for squirrels to have rabies. Most would die pretty quickly with obvious signs.
Legally one must have a permit to possess wildlife in New York. One could have possibly gotten an exhibit, sanctuary or wildlife rehabilitation permit to possess a squirrel. One could have also given the squirrel to someone who is already licensed to have squirrels. I doubt anyone would have been bitten at that point. I personally feel the authorities should have given the squirrel to a licensed individual. They could have worked something out in the future so the finders could visit or become licensed. The bad press is never worth it. Sadly that didn't happen. In a perfect world they should have given the baby squirrel to a wildlife rehabilitator so he could have been raised with others then released to the wild. It's possible the finder didn't know the law at the time. He did know the law later and should have taken steps to safeguard Peanut.
Nibi the beaver was also found orphaned. He was given to licensed wildlife rehabilitator Jane Newhouse of Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Massachusetts. You must raise beavers with others so they don't get acclimated to human caregivers. Squirrels are the same way. The rehabber tried but couldn't find another beaver Nibi would accept. Nibi wasn't able to be released for this reason. The rehabber applied for an educational permit but was denied. They were ordered to release Nibi instantly. A habituated beaver would most likely die if released.
Instead they used their social media fans to start a petition, contacted the media and contacted lawyers and local politicians. With the help of media and politicians including I believe the Governor they were able to secure the proper permits.
I personally feel they should have been granted the educational permit originally. I feel perhaps the local Fish & Wildlife department just didn't want to encourage rehabbers to keep wildlife or showcase them in a pet like manner. While we got a wildlife rehabilitation and educational exhibit permit our local Fish & Wildlife department is also extremely against giving permits. They believe wildlife should be "utilized" as in hunted, eaten, used for fur, research or released to the wild even if they just die. They don't believe any wildlife should be kept for education, exhibition, sanctuary or foster. Because there are a lot of "working" wild animals in California they still give out some permits to some people.
The purpose of this article is to educate people about possessing wildlife and the necessary permits. If you find ill, injured, orphaned wildlife, give it to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator instantly. Don't keep it because you will bond with it and it will bond with you. Then it won't be able to be released back to nature and could end up dead. A life in nature is best for wildlife.
If you want to care for wildlife, volunteer with a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. We are not accepting new volunteers but other facilities may. Thanks for caring about wildlife.
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