NY officials seize P’Nut the squirrel from owner, sparking online petition and donations

New York officials have seized an Instagram-famous pet squirrel from his owner’s home in Chemung County, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.

Tens of thousands of supporters are now rallying to pressure the state to return the squirrel, known as P’Nut, to his owner, Mark Longo.

“My fear is that P’Nut is gone — which means not only have you torn a family apart, but you took the centerpiece of a nonprofit animal rescue that has saved over 300 animals,” Longo, 34, said in an interview.

P’Nut has gained a large following, with more than half a million followers on Instagram and millions on TikTok. Longo, who said he rescued P’Nut from New York City several years ago, often posts videos of the squirrel roaming freely in his home near Elmira. The viral fame inspired him to open “P’Nut’s Freedom Farm,” a pet sanctuary where he cares for other animals.

But recent posts on P’Nut’s account turned somber as Longo announced that state officials had taken the squirrel from his home. Nearly 20,000 people have since signed an online petition urging the Department of Environmental Conservation to release P’Nut back to Longo, and supporters had raised nearly $5,00- on GoFundMe to help cover his legal fees as of Friday morning.

The Department of Environmental Conservation confirmed to Gothamist that the agency removed the animal “following multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”

Longo said eight conservation department officials arrived around 10 a.m. on Wednesday and seized both P’Nut and a raccoon that also lived on his property. He added that he was kept from entering his home while officials “tore my house apart.”

The conservation department said its investigation into the squirrel’s living conditions is ongoing and it urged New Yorkers to contact state-licensed wildlife rehabilitators when they encounter wild animals.

Longo expressed frustration at the lack of communication, saying he has not received any guidance on next steps.

“My ultimate goal out of all of this is to have some kind of resolution where we can have P’Nut back,” he said. “My whole opinion on this is that I could’ve gotten a phone call from somebody in the DEC office who said, ‘Hey, listen. We are going to take these animals, but this is what you can do to get P’Nut back.’”