The tragic death of Peanut the Squirrel and the Human-Animal Bond.
Last week, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation committed a cruel and unnecessary injustice against an orphaned squirrel and the couple who cared for him for over seven years.
Like many people, I could not believe the stories in the news and all over my social feeds were real. Unfamiliar with Peanut’s story and high-profile presence on Instagram and TikTok, I wondered if it was contrived or exaggerated to solicit online donations. In today’s increasingly pet-obsessed culture, I couldn’t imagine that such complete disregard for a relatively harmless animal’s life could occur.
I’ve been an animal lover all my life, and my childhood included the typical dogs, cats, birds, and hamsters. Growing up in South Carolina also included a revolving door of wild creatures that found their wayward path into our backyards and, eventually, our homes.
One such creature was Seymour, a 5-day-old baby squirrel born late in the season, in mid-September, who had fallen out of his nest during the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew. One of our cats, Tommy, found him in a patch of ivy by our garage; he just stood staring down at him, meowing incessantly until my mom sent me out there to investigate.
I was 11 years old when I scooped up the little pink, mouse-looking creature, his fur still slick and his eyes not yet open. For the next four weeks, I bottle-fed him kitten formula and kept him bundled up in a small wooden ‘critter carrier’ that my brother had made at summer camp that year. My 6th-grade teacher, Ms. Austin, was kind enough to let me bring Seymore to class with me those first few weeks so I could feed him during recess. I don’t think my parents thought Seymour would survive, but he did. In time, his eyes opened, and little tufts of fur began to sprout from his tail; he grew stronger, and I became deeply attached to him.
Raising Seymour had a profound impact on my life. I was just shy of the teenage years that would put my sense of self-worth through the wringer, but I had found purpose and quiet confidence and experienced the fulfillment of caring for others. Seymour lived with us for almost 2 years, and as he got older, he would venture out into the yard more frequently, first for daylong outings and then multi-night excursions.
Eventually, one weekend, we released him in the country. In the days that followed, my family and I were devastated. We missed Seymour and worried about how he was faring in the great outdoors. We often returned to where we released him to call his name and hoped to spot him but to no avail. I took comfort in imagining Seymour living a great life up in the oak and pine tree tops above with his new squirrel wife and babies.
After raising and caring so much for this intelligent, sweet creature, I cannot imagine the trauma of someone coming into my home and taking Seymour away from me. The only thing that would have been worse was finding out that those people, who were entrusted to protect animals and our community, had callously and unnecessarily ended my pet’s life. The seizing of Peanut the squirrel from Mark and Daniela Longo’s home was a blatant disregard for the Human-Animal Bond.
The Human-Animal Bond has been heavily researched and documented. Defined as “the mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between people and animals, influenced by behaviors considered essential to the health and well-being of both, multiple studies show the bond benefits people and animals’ mental, physical, and social health.
Many government agencies and laws exist to protect citizens from potential dangers posed by both domesticated and wild animals. Sometimes, measures must be taken to ensure the public’s safety at the expense of a potentially sick or dangerous animal’s life. Most professionals and volunteers working in animal welfare and rescue, public health, and the veterinary community do not take this lightly. But, what the officers of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation did to Peanut and the Longos was reckless and cruel; it was harmful to the animal they euthanized and also to the people who were deeply attached to him.
I suspect there are more troubling details to what transpired. After all, it is hard to imagine why anyone trained and involved in the seizure of ‘wild animals’ wasn’t vaccinated against rabies diseases or knows the likelihood of a squirrel having rabies. It’s also well known that the likelihood of a squirrel having rabies is extremely low; even the NY Department of Health notes this on their website. Still, I hope the officers’ actions were spurred by ignorance rather than negligence or contempt.
The only silver lining in this heartbreaking story is the outpouring of compassion from Peanut’s fans on social media, news outlets and the New York and animal welfare community. Perhaps a little waffle-loving, cowboy-hat-wearing squirrel will make people more aware of the Human-Animal Bond and our obligation to protect it.
To support Peanut’s legacy and his family, you can donate to his GoFundMe and sign the petition for NYSDEC reform at Change.org.
