Peanut, who has amassed more than half a million Instagram followers, was euthanized by officials to be tested for rabies.

Peanut, the Instagram-famous squirrel that was seized from its owner’s home Wednesday, has been euthanized by New York state officials.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took Peanut, as well as a raccoon named Fred, on Wednesday after the agency learned the animals were “sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies," it said in a joint statement with the Chemung County Department of Health.

Both Peanut and Fred were euthanized to test for rabies, the statement said. It was unclear when the animals were euthanized.

  • rtxn@lemmy.world
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    19 days ago

    They clearly didn’t have it.

    How can you tell? The incubation period of rabies can last for years.

    Internet famous, celebrity animals?

    They were squirrels on Instagram. That amounts to nothing.

    • Talaraine@fedia.io
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      19 days ago

      They mean donations to whomever takes them in. Believe me, that means something to them. These guys never even tried.

    • Dirac@lemmy.today
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      19 days ago

      Talk about bad faith arguments, lemme guess, you filed the complaint?