Mark Longo, a New York man, is urging state authorities to return his pet squirrel, Peanut, a social media star with hundreds of thousands of followers, seized during a Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) raid.

The DEC, responding to complaints about illegal wildlife housing, confiscated Peanut along with a raccoon named Fred.

Longo, who rescued Peanut seven years ago, started an animal sanctuary inspired by the squirrel, NBC News has reported.

He was working on certifying Peanut as an educational animal and now fears Peanut may have been euthanized.

Written by B.C. Begley