A man who took in an orphaned squirrel and made it a social media star vowed Saturday that New York state’s decision to seize and euthanize the animal “won’t go unheard.”

Two days after he was seized from his home in New York, Peanut the Squirrel has been euthanized. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health announced through a statement on Friday afternoon that both a squirrel and raccoon were confiscated from a residence on Wednesday had been euthanized to test for rabies.

This undated image provided by Mark Longo shows his pet squirrel Peanut that was seized by officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, at Longo's home in rural Pine City, N.Y., Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Courtesy Mark Longo via AP) AP