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 the squirrel, a social media star seized from his Upstate New York home earlier this week, has been euthanized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The DEC also took a raccoon named Fred from the home of Mark Longo, who lives in Pine City (near Elmira).

Peanut the Squirrel, also known as PNUT, boasts 534,000 followers on Instagram. He enjoys eating waffles, doing tricks and greeting his owner.

It has not been announced that the bomb threats correlate with the seizure and euthanasia of Peanut the Squirrel.

Image via Instagram Peanut The Squirrel may be gone, but its owner isn't prepared to give up the fight. Mark Longo is planning to sue after the Department of Environmental Conservation took the squirrel away and euthanized it.

Wildlife rehabilitators can legally care for injured or sick squirrels, but the animals can't be pets in many states.