P'Nut the squirrel's grieving owner slams NY's months-late boilerplate apology — and still doesn't have beloved pet's remains
They finally realized they were nuts.
New York officials issued a mea culpa Friday over the seizure and slaughter of beloved P'Nut the squirrel — but the months-late apology has rankled the tragic rodent's bereaved guardian, who is still waiting for his pet's remains to be returned.
Amanda Lefton, acting director of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, issued a statement Friday apologizing to New Yorkers for last fall's heavy-handed — and heartless — treatment of beloved pets P'Nut the squirrel and Fred the raccoon.
'We know that we can do better moving forward,' Lefton said.
'We have carefully reviewed all public feedback and we understand the distress caused to communities throughout the state,' she added.
'I have prioritized a review of our current wildlife protection and enforcement process to protect New Yorkers and this agency from similar incidents in the future.'
The tardy remarks did not satisfy Mark Longo, P'Nut's rescuer and owner, who told The Post the agency's platitudes ring hollow.
'Today hurt me really bad. To be honest, I'm still shocked and really upset with the response,' he said in a statement.
'It took DEC almost five months to respond, and they respond with, 'We can do better.' Five months of not knowing why Peanut was killed. Five months, and we still don't have the whereabouts of Peanut's and Fred's bodies.'
'No answers. There's no remorse. I'm just at a loss,' Longo added.
As of December, the headless bodies of P'Nut and Fred were being preserved as evidence in a refrigerated room someplace upstate, a DEC spokesperson told The Post.
P'Nut and Fred were seized from Longo's home by the DEC on Oct. 30 and euthanized by the agency one day later, after it received an anonymous complaint about an animal possibly infected with rabies at the Chemung County residence.
DEC agents combed through Longo's house for hours — leaving with P'Nut and Fred, who the loving pet owner would never see again. Both of the animals had been rescued by Longo.
The animal lover saved P'Nut, who was 6, from a New York City street after seeing the squirrel's mother get struck by a car. Little P'Nut was just a baby at the time.
Fred was dropped at his doorstep, and he graciously took in the raccoon, who was about 4 months old when he was euthanized by DEC officials.
Lefton was named acting head of state DEC last month, replacing Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar, who was at the helm of the agency during the P'Nut fiasco.
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