A squirrel with hundreds of thousands of fans online has been seized by New York state authorities, prompting an emotional plea for his owner for him to be returned.

Mark Longo's pet squirrel Peanut, and a raccoon named Fred, were taken into the care of the state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) during a raid following anonymous complaints about the animals' living conditions.

Longo, 34, has launched a campaign online to get his animals back after officers came to his home in rural Pine City on Wednesday. "The DEC showed up in my house and issued me a search warrant for a squirrel and a raccoon," Longo told Newsweek. "They raided my house as if I was a drug dealer or something. It is the most shocking thing I have ever seen or witnessed in my life."

Peanut, affectionately known as P'Nut or PNUT, has lived with Longo for seven years now and gained fame for his playful antics, often seen wearing tiny cowboy hats or munching on waffles while wearing crocheted bunny ears.

Longo, who has shared countless videos of Peanut on Instagram and TikTok, took to social media to express his grief over the seizure, and has vowed to do everything he can to get his beloved pet back. "Well, internet, you won," said Longo in a post after the seizure of his beloved squirrel, believing that the reports that led to the seizure came from people online who dislike him.

The DEC's spokesperson told The Associated Press that the agency initiated an investigation after receiving multiple reports about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies, as well as the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.

However, the DEC did not confirm whether Peanut had been euthanized, something Longo is worried about. "I haven't gotten an update on whether or not Peanut is alive. I don't know where he is. I haven't a clue," he said.

Newsweek reached out to the DEC via email on Friday morning for comment.

Longo's bond with Peanut began seven years ago when he rescued the squirrel after witnessing its mother being struck by a car in New York City. He cared for Peanut for eight months before attempting to release him back into the wild, only to find the injured animal back on his porch shortly afterward.

Following the incident, Longo decided to keep Peanut as a pet, and the squirrel's social media fame skyrocketed. In April 2023, Longo opened P'Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary in upstate New York, where he cares for around 300 animals, including horses, goats, and alpacas. Despite acknowledging that keeping a wild animal without a permit is against New York law, Longo said he was in the process of obtaining certification for Peanut as an educational animal.

"I want for me and the state officials to come to some sort of agreement," Longo said. "We will like to play by the rules. Yes, it doesn't look like that in this position, considering it was some minor paperwork to have a squirrel. But I'm being treated as if I had a dragon in my house."

The seizure of Peanut and Fred is not an isolated incident; Longo joins a growing list of animal owners challenging similar actions by the DEC. Recently, a Buffalo-area man has been suing the agency to recover his pet alligator, which was also confiscated.