Latest news with #Peanut'sLaw:TheHumaneAnimalProtectionAct
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New York lawmakers push ‘Peanut's Law' to reform wildlife enforcement
(NewsNation) — New York state Republicans have introduced a bill that would give animals seized by the government a stay of execution. The legislation comes after P'Nut, an Instagram-famous squirrel, was decapitated by the government last year. 'Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act' would require the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to wait 72 hours before any instance of euthanizing any seized animals. The only exception, according to the bill, would be instances in which there is an immediate risk to public safety, as determined by a licensed veterinarian. The 72-hour waiting period would allow families and sanctuaries to file an emergency appeal with the department, allowing the case to be reviewed by an emergency board including a licensed veterinarian, a public health official and a sanctuary representative to determine the best course of action. 5 takeaways from the Trump tariff drama 'It's veterinarians and families and individuals making these decisions as to the fate of these animals, and not bureaucrats and red tape that decide arbitrarily that these animals have to be killed,' New York Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz, R-Nassau, told 'Morning in America' on Thursday. While some have raised concerns the bill could put state environmental officers in danger if there is a rabies concern, Blumencranz said he's not worried. 'I don't think they would be in a situation where they'd ever be in danger, because if human life, or the life of the officer, or any instance in which humans may be in danger are at play, then they would not have to go through this similar due process system,' he said. New York authorities carried out a raid last year at Mark Longo's home after 'numerous complaints' about the squirrel, according to the Associated Press. Longo had rescued the squirrel seven years previously. On Oct. 30, 2024, the state euthanized P'Nut and Longo's pet raccoon, Fred, to test them for rabies after reports they had bitten someone. Longo disagreed with the decision and said that P'Nut had not bitten anyone. Maryland and Delaware fight over 'Orange Crush' cocktail Longo said he still has not received sufficient answers for exactly how the incident came to pass. 'Since Oct. 30, we have heard nothing. We've gotten zero answers, but we've been told we can do better by the state officials of the DEC, so we're really trying to understand what that actually means,' he said. Longo said passing Peanut's Law would be a step forward to ensure P'Nut and Fred 'didn't die in vain.' He added it would be an opportunity to advance animal rights and turn a tragedy into a positive moment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Justice for Peanut Bill
Remember the unjust and tragic murder of Peanut the Squirrel? Well NY Republicans are working to make sure it never happens again. I'm Tomi Lahren, more next. Late last fall social media sensation, Peanut the Squirrel, was unjustly and tragically ripped from his owner by New York State environmental officials and euthanized, for no apparent reason whatsoever. Well New York Republicans have introduced a bill to make sure that kind of thing never happens to another innocent pet again. The bill titled 'Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act,' would mandate a 72-hour waiting period before the Department of Environmental Conservation can euthanize any seized animal. It would also give the animal's owners a hearing before the state takes or puts down their beloved animal. This should be bipartisan and I hope Democrats in NY will jump on board. With all the problems in that state, why in the heck should taxpayer money and resources be afforded to environmental department tyrants to go confiscate pets and put them down. Peanut never hurt anybody and with the passage of this bill, his legacy will live on! I'm Tomi Lahren and you watch my show 'Tomi Lahren is Fearless' at Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NY bill would give critters due process after P'Nut the squirrel was seized, beheaded by DEC agents
Don't tread on P. State Republicans are pushing a bill that would give animals seized by the government a stay of execution after internet-famous P'Nut the Squirrel was decapitated by the government last year. P'Nut's grieving owners Mark and Daniela Longo joined with state Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz (R-Nassau) at the state Capitol Tuesday to unveil 'Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act' — which would require the Department of Environmental Conservation to wait 72 hours before euthanizing any seized animals. 'I sit here trying not to cry, but passing this law will be a movement to make sure that animal rights are not overlooked anymore,' an emotional Mark Longo told a large crowd gathered at the foot of the Capitol's Million Dollar Staircase. 'I loved those animals to death,' he added, referring to P'Nut and another pet named Fred the Squirrel that was seized in the same raid and also put down. 'And today is a day that we push forward to make sure that this tragedy never happens again.' The owner wore a tiny cowboy hat P'Nut had worn in social media posts pinned to his lapel. The critters were housed at the Longos' upstate farm before a DEC raid on Oct. 30, 2024 that officials said was sparked by anonymous complaints of animal mistreatment. The animals' heads were cut off by state officials within hours so their brains could be tested for rabies after the frightened squirrel allegedly bit a handler's leather glove — setting off a massive backlash to the DEC's behavior. 'His death stopped people in their tracks, from the president of the United States to the chief justice of the Supreme Court, to celebrities to everyday New Yorkers,' said Assemblyman Blumencranz, who pointed out that the tests which cost P'Nut and Fred their lives came back negative for rabies. 'They were not dangerous. They were not sick. They were not wild threats roaming the streets. They were rescues — loved, nurtured, and safe,' he said. 'Here is the cold, hard truth. It is too little, too late. Words don't save P'Nut and Fred, and words won't save the next animal, or the next family, unless we change the law.' The bill would also require an administrative hearing before any animals can be seized or euthanized from wildlife sanctuaries, unless their is hard proof of an immediate threat to the public. During the announcement Tuesday, Longo and other speakers stood before a lectern adorned with banner emulating the yellow Revolutionary War-era Gadsden flag — with the image of rattlesnake replaced by a squirrel perched atop the words 'Don't Tread on Me.' There was also a picture of Fred, and one of P'Nut in his tiny one-gallon cowboy hat.
Fox News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
NY Republicans push ‘Peanut's Law' after beloved pet squirrel was seized, killed by state agents
New York Republicans are pushing a new law to protect animals after a beloved pet squirrel and internet star named P'Nut was taken and killed by state environmental officers late last year. The bill, called "Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act," would require a 72-hour waiting period before the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) can euthanize any seized animal. It would also give animal owners the chance for a hearing before the state takes or puts down their animals. P'Nut and another pet squirrel named Fred were taken from Mark and Daniela Longo's upstate farm last October after someone filed an anonymous complaint. Both animals were killed and tested for rabies, and both tests came back negative. The squirrel had a huge following on social media, with P'Nut accruing nearly one million followers to watch content of the critter and his OF BELOVED PEANUT THE SQUIRREL PLAN TO SUE NEW YORK STATE OVER SEIZURE AND KILLING BY AUTHORITIES Once news spread on P'Nut's Instagram page, backlash over DEC's actions spread like wildfire online. At the time, everyone from Elon Musk to President Trump weighed in on the killing of the dear family referred to the killing back in November as "the whole squirrel thing" while on Joe Rogan's podcast. Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz (R-Nassau), who is sponsoring the bill, said it's about fairness. "This is about due process," he said, adding that animals should not be killed unless they're an immediate danger. The Longos, who run an animal sanctuary, say they were never told why their pets were taken. They hope the new bill will stop similar cases from happening again. Mark Longo said of the new bill: "I sit here trying not to cry, but passing this law will be a movement to make sure that animal rights are not overlooked anymore."Peanut or "P'Nut" was only a baby when the Longos rescued him. The squirrel adapted to his adoptive human family after his real mother was run over by a car when he was just five weeks old. "They were not dangerous. They were not sick. They were not wild threats roaming the streets," said Assemblyman Blumencranz. "They were rescues — loved, nurtured, and safe." Supporters of the legislation say it's a common-sense move to protect both animals and their owners. "Here is the cold, hard truth. It is too little, too late. Words don't save P'Nut and Fred, and words won't save the next animal, or the next family, unless we change the law."An attorney who represents the Longo family did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
