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P’Nut the Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon did not have rabies, officials announced — as it was revealed the animals were marked for death and decapitation days before they were seized by the state.
The internet famous P’Nut and his raccoon pal were taken from an Upstate New York home by force in a raid by state agents on Oct. 30 that sparked outrage and accusations of government overreach as the pets were euthanized to test for rabies.
“Results are negative,” Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss told The Post Tuesday.
A newly revealed timeline shows state officials advised the county to euthanize the pets a full seven days before they were taken from their unofficial caretaker Mark Longo on Oct. 30 — even though the Department of Environmental Conservation later said the squirrel bit an agent during the raid, sparking the need for the test.
“Wildlife cannot be confined like domestic animals, and if there was an exposure, the animals would need to be tested for rabies,” the State Department of Health wrote the county on Oct. 23 — a message that all but sealed the animals’ fates, as rabies tests require decapitation so subjects’ heads can be opened and their brains sampled.
Days later on Oct. 29 the DEC had laid their plans to raid Longo’s home, but the DEC was also already coordinating the animals’ euthanizations with Elmira Animal Control, the county’s timeline shows — directly contradicting their previous explanation that P’Nut had prompted his own euthanization.
“I’m in utter shock,” Longo told The Post when shown the timeline. “I’d like to give you a proper statement, but for now I’ll just say ‘Wow.'”
Longo – who says he still hasn’t received any word from officials about the animals — previously insisted that the animals were rabies-free.
P’Nut commanded a massive following on social media before his death. News of his fate outraged the public, with many decrying government overreach and overreaction for the seizure where Longo said he was treated like a “terrorist.”
Chemung County said the investigation into the situation remains ongoing.
“I would ask the public to allow the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation the amount of time necessary to complete their investigation so that many of the public’s questions can be answered,” Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss said in a statement.
nypost.com
The internet famous P’Nut and his raccoon pal were taken from an Upstate New York home by force in a raid by state agents on Oct. 30 that sparked outrage and accusations of government overreach as the pets were euthanized to test for rabies.
“Results are negative,” Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss told The Post Tuesday.
A newly revealed timeline shows state officials advised the county to euthanize the pets a full seven days before they were taken from their unofficial caretaker Mark Longo on Oct. 30 — even though the Department of Environmental Conservation later said the squirrel bit an agent during the raid, sparking the need for the test.
“Wildlife cannot be confined like domestic animals, and if there was an exposure, the animals would need to be tested for rabies,” the State Department of Health wrote the county on Oct. 23 — a message that all but sealed the animals’ fates, as rabies tests require decapitation so subjects’ heads can be opened and their brains sampled.
Days later on Oct. 29 the DEC had laid their plans to raid Longo’s home, but the DEC was also already coordinating the animals’ euthanizations with Elmira Animal Control, the county’s timeline shows — directly contradicting their previous explanation that P’Nut had prompted his own euthanization.
“I’m in utter shock,” Longo told The Post when shown the timeline. “I’d like to give you a proper statement, but for now I’ll just say ‘Wow.'”
Longo – who says he still hasn’t received any word from officials about the animals — previously insisted that the animals were rabies-free.
P’Nut commanded a massive following on social media before his death. News of his fate outraged the public, with many decrying government overreach and overreaction for the seizure where Longo said he was treated like a “terrorist.”
Chemung County said the investigation into the situation remains ongoing.
“I would ask the public to allow the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation the amount of time necessary to complete their investigation so that many of the public’s questions can be answered,” Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss said in a statement.
P’Nut the Squirrel was ‘marked for death’ and decapitation from the start — as rabies test results reveal tragic twist
P’Nut the Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon did not have rabies, officials announced — as it was revealed the animals were marked for death and decapitation days before they were seized by the st…
nypost.com
