Mark Longo, who called Peanut the Squirrel his pet for this past seven years, described the New York's decision to seize and euthanize the wild animal turned social media star a "disgrace." "What happened today and what transpired throughout this week has been nothing short of a tragedy and a disgrace to the New York state,

A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star called Peanut is pleading with state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized it during a raid that also yielded a raccoon named Fred.

Peanut, whose name is also spelled P'Nut or PNUT, was seized by officers from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, according to a statement his owner, Mark Longo, published on Peanut's official Instagram account on Wednesday, Oct. 30.