Social media star Peanut the squirrel has been killed after authorities seized him and a raccoon called Fred in a raid on their caretaker’s home.
Mark Longo said he took Peanut into his Pine City home after seeing his mother get hit by a car in New York City 10 years ago.
Since then, the squirrel has gained more than 500,000 followers on Instagram and 39,000 on TikTok.
In videos published to the platforms, Peanut can be seen leaping onto Mr Longon and sharing waffles with the man, who runs an animal sanctuary.
Some of the most recently clips show him posing with a shirtless Longo alongside pumpkins and sweets, much to the glee of their fans.
But they didn’t make it to Halloween.
On October 30, officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) raided Mr Longo’s home after receiving anonymous complaints.
They then killed Peanut and the raccoon in order to test them for …