Peanut, a social media-famous squirrel seized from owner Mark Longo’s home in Pine City, NY, and later euthanized, tested negative for rabies, county officials reported.

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) removed Peanut and a raccoon named Fred on Oct. 30 after complaints of illegal wildlife handling, sparking public outrage.

The animals were euthanized for rabies testing after Peanut bit a DEC worker.

Longo, who had been preparing to certify Peanut as an educational animal, criticized the government’s actions, calling the test results unsurprising, the Associated Press has reported.

The DEC is conducting an internal policy review following the incident.

Written by B.C. Begley