Internet sensation Peanut the Squirrel’s story got the attention of those in the highest court in the land after Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch gave the animal a shoutout while speaking about government overreach.
During Gorsuch’s appearance on Thursday at the Federalist Society’s annual dinner, the conservative SCOTUS justice referenced the story of the little grey squirrel who last month was seized by New York State authorities from his guardian’s home and euthanized, along with his pal Fred the Raccoon, to be “tested for rabies,” The Hill reported.
“I’ve just seen too many cases like that. You have just the other day, some of you might have seen one in the newspaper, if the newspapers are to be believed,” Gorsuch told the crowd at the Washington Hilton’s ballroom. “Yes, I’m speaking of P’nut the squirrel.”
Reports have since surfaced that call into question the death of the little animals, showing that the squirrel and raccoon were reportedly marked for euthanasia more than a week before they were seized in a raid at guardian Mark Longo’s home.
SCOTUS Justice Neil Gorsuch shout-outs P’Nut the Squirrel in speech about government overreach https://t.co/3vOw8FSTyk pic.twitter.com/3yHmhVQWIX
— New York Post (@nypost) November 15, 2024
Chemung County Executive Christopher Moss told the New York Post that the rabies test for both animals came back “negative” after they were seized on October 30 by officials with the the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and then euthanized.
DEC officials initially said they had received numerous calls about the animals living in the house. The department then got a warrant to search the home for the animals in what Longo described as a drug dealer-type raid at his home, as previously reported.
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At the time, the Associated Press reported that the DEC took both animals from the Longos’ home. The agency reportedly said it received complaints that wildlife was potentially at risk and being kept illegally. The Longos told TMZ that they have had Peanut for seven years, after rescuing the squirrel when its mother was killed.
The DEC also said in a statement that Peanut bit an investigator on the hand while the squirrel was being confiscated, sparking the need to test for rabies and “both animals were euthanized…” according to WETM. In order to test for rabies, decapitation is required so subjects’ heads can be opened and their brains sampled.
However, the Post reported that as far back as a week earlier, a timeline for euthanasia doesn’t match up and the animals were advised to be euthanized by state officials before the raid. One email from the DEC dated October 22 said it recommends “these animals be tested for rabies as a precaution for human safety.”
The State Department of Health letter to the county on October 23 then read, “Wildlife cannot be confined like domestic animals, and if there was an exposure, the animals would need to be tested for rabies,” WBNG reported.
Related: Peanut The Squirrel Marked For Death Days Before He Was Seized In Raid
