'Peanut's Law' introduced in New York after death of social media squirrel

The death of a viral social media squirrel is inspiring new legislation in New York

The animal was a rescued squirrel named Peanut, who gained widespread popularity on platforms like Instagram and TikTok

After being found orphaned on a Manhattan street, Peanut became the face of Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary

a nonprofit rescue operated by Mark Longo, the same man who originally saved the squirrel

But in October of last year, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation

raided the Longo residence, seizing Peanut, citing multiple public complaints about keeping wild animals as pets and concerns about rabies

exposure. Peanut reportedly bit one of the officers during the seizure and was euthanized

for rabies testing, results of which later came back negative. The New York Department of

Environmental Conservation defended the raid at the time, claiming it acted in accordance with

state regulations. But public outcry over the incident prompted the agency to issue a statement

last week about what happened, saying it initiated an internal investigation of wildlife

enforcement procedures, adding, we know we can do better moving forward. In the aftermath of this

a new bill has been introduced to the New York state legislator dubbed Peanuts Law

Today, I have introduced Assembly Bill 7388, Peanuts Law, the Humane Animal Protection Act

because compassion should not be controversial and animal welfare should never be a partisan issue

The proposed legislation aims to protect the rights of legitimate animal sanctuaries

as well as establish clearer procedures for the seizure and euthanasia of wildlife

Longo has voiced his support for the bill, saying he hopes it prevents similar cases to peanuts from happening

and ensures animal rights are no longer overlooked. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Elmer