The owners of Peanut the Squirrel, whose controversial death alongside his raccoon friend Fred sparked outrage online, are preparing to sue the state of New York and Chemung County.
Mark Longo filed a notice of claim against state authorities after the animals were seized during a raid on his Pine City home and animal sanctuary by the Department of Environmental Conservation on October 30. Longo accuses officials of government overreach, privacy invasion, and trespassing.
The claim states that Peanut and Fred were killed for rabies testing, an action the owners deem “unfounded” and “unjustified.”
Testing results for rabies came back negative for both animals.
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