Interesting story. Bit of a watch , 15:26 but worth it. Lots of funny memes in the middle.
World famous squirrel seized by NY DEC , then killed. Going viral very quickly.


Opening a bit of a huge can of worms with the Tman crowd. Respond to this thread with candor ,one side or another but please keep it civil for the Tman mods.


<Cragar putting on flame suit>

I have no words for how I feel about a squirrel…..

Moving on.

Only took 6 armed CO's to confiscate a tame squirrel.

That's nuts.

Ain’t going to beat that, given the thread subject.

somebody needs to get the New York politicians on the air talking about why....If this gets enough eyeballs.....It could swing it. crazy

I haven't read up on it enough to form an opinion yet. Was the guy properly licensed to hold wildlife? And if so was he in full compliance? Here in Georgia you ain't getting a permit for a pet squirrel or raccoon, period, and if you're a licensed rehabber and make a pet out of one you'll get your license pulled.

There's reasons why the DNR is so strict.

https://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/2010/11/articles/animals/other-animals/raccoons-attack-baby/#:~:text=By%20Scott%20Weese%20on%20November,thing%20for%20them%20to%20do.

You can't murder a animal....lol

BS opinions like this are ignorant, search warrants 8 officers , we have real sh&$!! Going on in the country today, wait let's go kill this squirrel, what a chicken sssst. Thing to do.
We have murders walking our streets,

Like I said I haven't read up on it. I'm assuming these were crappie cops so it's not like they're being called off of a fugitive task force or something.

Some of us have never asked permission to rehab any animal they have rehabbed. Let's say I know a guy that's bottle raised squirrels, injured chipmunk, coon that's mom and siblings were smashed in the road and even a bard owl that had a broken wing( shudder the horror) . The guy has never had a fatality with one and all were released with no issues.
some people need a master others don't.

Years ago I was driving to work on a Friday of Memorial Day weekend and there was a big ole coon dead on the road. The following Tuesday evening I was on my way home from work and that raccoon was a total pancake on the double yellow lines. Sitting on the shoulder was the tiniest baby coon I'd ever seen. I pulled over, jumped out of my Z-28 and walked over to it. He was chirping away and carrying on as I picked him up and brought him to my car. After bringing him home, I started thinking that if there's one there's gotta be more. I drove back to the dead coon and stood on the side of the road and just listened. Sure enough, I could hear other babies chiping away. Followed the sounds to a nearby den tree and collected three more, also found a dead one.

They had no teeth and their eyes had probably opened for the first time just a couple days earlier. I bottle fed them for a couple of weeks, mostly during the night because I had to be at work all day. They all thrived and were awesome as they followed me anywhere I went but after about four months they were simply too much for my small one bedroom condo.

Gave them to a friend of mine who lived on a lake surrounded by woods. The plan was to get them acclimated to the area and let them wander off into the wild when they felt the need to.

A couple months went by and two of the four coons caught a cold of some sort so my friend unknowingly took them to his local vet to get checked out. They told him he may as well bring in the other two so they could also be checked out so, him and his girlfriend run to his house and get the other two.

After sitting in the waiting room for an hour or so they are informed that all four coon have been euthanized to be tested for rabies. My buddy and his girlfriend start freaking out but were quickly told that if they didn't leave immediately the DEC would be called and they'd be arrested for keeping wild animals without the proper permits.

And some of us got some common sense. Come live just outside Atlanta and you understand the why.

Wildlife should never be pets.

Let one do it....then what?

When a person finds a animal run over etc. with the little one nearby I don't have a problem with raising that critter up and letting it go.Just common sense.

I’ve read bits and pieces about this,,, I had read that it was killed to test for rabies,why was the squrriel killed to check for rabies?? Did it bite someone?
Or did they do it to justify taking away a squirrel??
To me, it’s just a squirrel,,, but I see the excessive use of force and it clearly wasn’t necessary,,,
Did he have a menagerie of squirrels armed to the teeth with those evil ar15 a, or is it ar16, or maybe ar17??

warrior Your right if it's like you say around Alanta the one with common since have moved elsewhere. Same reason some won't live in a place with home owners association and other will and like it until the association negatively affects them directly.

SW
You're right, just as no one should ever break any laws, including everyone,no one is exempt, who hasn't? Even with laws there's still right from wrong.

The only quick method for rabies testing is extracting brain tissue, macerating it, adding an antigen dye and then viewing it under black light. If it fluoresces then it's positive.

The only other method is quarantine the animal to see if symptoms occur, 90 days for the USDA.

Quarantine would mean the bite victim would still need to get the shots as they are only effective if administered immediately.

I'm also sure that whatever agency the protocol is most likely all bites get tested, period.

I read it was a Gov employee that got bit in the process (supposedly)

I would like to know why they killed them? They didn't have rabies. It's the same as them raiding your home, taking your cat or dog and killing it! How would you feel about that?

Because it's illegal in most states to have a wild animal as a bet and or rehab them without proper licensing.

Absolutely LOVE that my tax dollars are going to paying police to kill someone's pet friggen squirrel. Omg the danger !!! Somone has an illegal tree rat and there dressing it up for funny videos

It's a squirrel, not a baboon or something that could legit rip your face off.

It's just as bad as people who loose it of somone keeping a possum as a pet. WHO CARES about the harmless trash kitty .

Again kinda get like a raccoon or maybe a hawk....but a squirrel?

Wrong, that squirrel and raccoon belonged to the people of that state.

Under the American concept of wildlife management all wildlife belongs to we the people and held in common trust.

Now to the specifics of that case. Nothing I've read so far indicates the person had followed the proper procedures for reducing the wildlife in question to personal property. Hence he was holding wildlife in violation of the laws of his state.

Let's flip this. Let's say he went out and trapped a booner white tail buck to turn out on his fenced five acre patch to charge someone to kill?

The rules are the rules across the board.

Some of y'all stand ready to hang poachers but are okay with folks taking wildlife if the wildlife is cute.

Yall do realize that game wardens handle wildlife violations?

Not the city cops, county deputies, state troopers, and state investigative agencies. These are traffic code enforcement, property crimes and violent crime enforcement.

Call a game warden next time your neighbor is cooking meth.

Call the sheriff when someone is poaching on your land.

I think I'll go get a bear cub as a pet....that'll be better than a squirrel.

"Stealing" a squirrel....A SQUIRREL is legit at the same level of crime to me as stealing rail road ties/spike so ff abandoned railroad tracks . Again the law but beyond stupid

Folks thinking keeping wildlife as pets has given us pythons, capybaras, various species of monkeys, monk parakeets and other parrots, ring neck doves, tegus, monitors, various crocodilia like caimans among other things. And that's just a few of the non natives in the US.

Pretty sure that squirrel was a native of new York

True, but it's still the soft headed cute and fluffy thinking that starts the problem. Any married man knows that to be true.

Where does the line need to be drawn?

Make it OK to keep squirrels as pets?

Ok to keep coons as pets?

What about deer?

Bears?

Go ahead...draw the line.

And please state what is supposed to be done with a human -habituated wild critter.

Release it in a park or other wooded area you say?

Lol

Sit dies in the woods all the time .......maybe we should move all wildlife into zoos

Let the people of the state decide, after all it was said that it belonged to them. This is a ridiculous hill to die on, for everyone arguing about it!

The owner of Peanut is a man.

If "the people" have jurisdiction of a states' wildlife, isn't he also part of "the people" ?

The people of New York had already decided. The Environmental Police (NY game wardens) appeared to have followed their state's law....can't hold wildlife as pets without proper permits.

There likely is an operational policy (approved by a public board) in place to euthanized critters held illegally.

Some folks posting on this thread about the "poor little pet squirrel" would make great HSUS or PETA spokespersons.

"Peanut" didn't have an owner.

He was a squirrel...not a dog.

Well the guy who kept "PEANUT" is a human. A man.

I am just intelligent enough to recognize a squirrel from a dog.

Whatever term you like best , by all means use. Owner, kept, kidnapped, whatever.

He kept it in his house, just as one would a cat or dog. I know what a cat is , too.

Mabye use common sense.... I mean seriously the difference between someone keeping a dang tree rat vs idk a apex predator like bobcat or a bear cub..... Like come on. Like seriously how many rednecks are out there with pet coons possum squirrels and other lil critters that aren't hurting anything.

And property of the people.....who is getting upset over someone "stealing" on of the 25 trillion squirrels in the country? Ok yeah if it was like a or something endangered SUREEE that makes perfect sense, ....but a squirrel and a coon....

I know you do.

My reply wasn't about your knowledge...it was about the fact that wildlife are not pets and are not owned.

Maybe he was living there on his own free will.

Is that what the law should be in Mississippi?

Squirrels and coons held as pets?

I agree on the common sense approach by LE, but selective enforcement doesn't make any officer appear to be doing his job fairly.

If not ever held in a cage and free to come and go as he pleased...Peanut would still be alive in Georgia.

I suppose that is all a matter of opinion, SW.

There are plenty of folks who regard their wild pets as "pets".

You then may need to fill in the void in not wanting the term "pet" used, or "owned." Simply correcting someone with no better term to be used in expressing themselves won't fly well.

I say OWNED and PET because it is fast and natural in language to express . That said, there are plenty of folks who have had or have wildlife as pets. Their words firmly.

I believe or highly esteemed Jack , the biologist, called his coyote a pet too. It was as a dog for him.

Unless it was legal (Peanut was not) .....then wildlife is not a pet or owned.

Well, then you have a lot of folks to correct in wordage use.

Still, that isn't a replacement term/s when someone is simply trying to relate their "pet" stories.

No one is going to be so controlled in how they describe having as a pet, or owned, a "wild" critter raised in the house.

OK, I have a stab at it....

"Geeee. I found this squirrel and I'm having such fun having it as my.....wait.....can't say pet....well, well, I'm BORROWING it from the state !"

Dude keeping a squirrel is clearly a menace to society and should be hung at high noon in the public square.

Are you more aggravated that illegally-held wildlife cannot be owned or because I said that squirrel was NOT a pet?

I didn't intend to correct you with my above post. Just stated the facts of this incident.

Wildlife (held illegally) are not pets or owned.

Iowa has that law and penalty?

You better be careful out there.

I am not aggravated, I am simply saying that you have a lot of folks to correct in how they describe having, owning, borrowing, a varmint, not legally.

I don't care how you describe it, or want others to say the same description as you. I'm saying you're in for a challenge, wanting to control HOW others describe enjoying some critter they found or caught in the wild, illegally.

So if they have one legally, suddenly the term "pet" is ok ....

OK.

"Keep talking", SW. You will need it .

I've raised a few critters. The two most memorable ones were a whitetail deer. and a squirrel. I was a kid when I had the deer and he followed me everywhere. I distinctly remember running through fields of wildflowers and the fawn leaping along right beside me like a dog. It slept in a closet in my bedroom with my yellow lab. Eventually though, his little button antlers started growing in and he started getting a bit wild. He'd race back and forth from one side of the house to other in sheer joy. Then one day, during one of his playing sprees, he leapt at and broke a window. He wasn't hurt, but I realized then he couldn't stay in the house much longer.

I knew if I built a pen for him to stay in outside when I was at school, some mean old game warden like Swamp would come and kill him. I went to the library and found the state regulations for getting a permit to keep a deer and found it would cost about 10 grand (this was in the 90s) to build an enclosure to meet their ridiculous requirements. As luck would have it, I knew of a man who DID have a permit to keep deer. I gave the deer to him, and he kept him. I went back a few times over the years to see him. The last time I did, he was a six point buck and had had a fawn with one of the does there.

There may be laws in MS against keeping wildlife, but if there is, they're not enforced... due to our live market.

… cool story Yote

… my uncle was a logger and always had a few critters in the house

Love,

Savell

When I was a kid l had 5 pet Coyote's they hid in neighboring timber I could go out to the field and howl at them and they would all come to me and do there sunrise serenade, also my pet raccoon that would follow me to the river fishing, he would ride on the window seal and hold onto the rear view mirror when we went for a ride. Not to mention my pet squirrel that would climb up the panelling and sleep in my dad's old tobacco can. Didn't dawn on me then, but I surely was a outlaw!!

Thete used to be a TV show years ago I remember a guy who had a hyena as a pet he had to get rid of it because it broke his arm. A guy who used to be in the boilermakers paid 10k to get a wold from Alaska he showd me picture of it the thing standing on his back legs is as big as he is and he 6 '1.

And yet if my animal gets in the road and a school bus crashes I'm held responsible financially. But that state owned wildlife causes a wreck and the state is some how not responsible!

They are not responsible for the damage caused by a squirrel or coon in the attic or cost to have them removed either. Funny how you find double standard yet miss these.

Not so much DEC did enforce the law, It's how they did it....You would have thought the guy was bin laden

I can see from the conversations on this thread that not many people really care about wildlife. That Squirrel wasn't hurting anyone and it was free to rome. It was healthy and the people it lived with loved it. Since all dogs came from wolves that would make all dogs wildlife. If you really believe that no one should care for wildlife the local game wardens should raid your house with 8 agents and kill all your dogs.

Maybe that's^^ why cops shoot so many dogs!!!

Now, I guess I should go and try to get people that have illegally-held wildlife to not call them pets.

Nah..I could care less what they call em. I can only say what those wild critters are NOT.

And Dang!...why does it seem like I'm discussing this with an animal rights person?

Peace out!

What?

Ol Peanut was free to roam?

If so, then Peanut was not illegally held.

Btw....wildlife ain't dogs.

What are stray cats?

Seems like those coyotes and the coon, and squirrel were free roaming....never confined. If so, there would be no illegalities if in Georgia.

Now, yotetrapper30's buck deer would've been a no-go. She penned up the critter.

Yep, I wonder if they have ever heard of a zoo or wildlife sanctuary up there. They would have done themselves a big favor by enforcing the law and finding a home for the critters. Just common sense but government isn’t known for having much.

The guy's downfall was social media. If'n he would have kept his lawbreaking ways to himself the gestapo wouldn't have shown up at his door.

Uncle Swamp…. How many squirrels have you confiscated over the years?

Love,

Savell

Yukon John,
You're on Tman and are a trapper and don’t know that house cats (stray or tame) is a DOMESTIC animal?

Tip: catch and pen that stray cat up and NOT A SINGLE GAME WARDEN WILL ARRIVE AT YOUR HOUSE TO SEIZE IT.

I guarantee that.

Zero, but I have asked kindly (a few times) to release the squirrel from the cage. Allow it to come and go freely...no cage time.

Or he could've just followed the law....maybe.

Appreciate the clarification, thanks.

YJ,
You're welcome.

I'm having some fun with this thread.

Hope I'm not aggravating people too much. Not my intention. Just having some social media fun conversations.

I'm staying factual on the laws and picking at some of yall that have a touch of the Bambi Complex.

Not you Yukon John.....you were referring to a house cat.

My sincere condolences to Peanut and any other illegaly-held wild critter that NY DofEC put to sleep.

…. Mighty white of ya kind sir

Love,

Savell

Mine were not pets. Here are a few examples. 2 fox squirrel babies were in a tree in a subdivision I was removing and I found them laying on the ground. Instead of letting the cats kill them I took them home and bottle fed them until they were big enough .Then they went in an outside enclosure where we out gathered nuts for a while and one day we left the door open and they could come and go eventually moving on completely.

Daughter took a chipmunk away from the cats when she was maybe 6 it was chewed up I did not think it would live but my daughter wanted to save it. So being a dad raped around his daughters finger we doctored it up put it in a hamster cage tell it was better and when spring came it was let loose.

Several coon babies have been picked up over the years when momma and siblings are splayed and they have been let go.

I have also picked up 2 owls and a red tail that had been hit by cars on the Road. went way out of my way and 2 went to rehabilitation places. But one I that had a broken wing and blood driving off its beak I could not get ahold of anyone on a long Holladay. I was also busy I set it's wing and put it in a box with water and meat in the dark basement and went on with the next very busy several days.. Honestly I forgot about it until my daughter heard it moving in the box and askes what it was. its eyes were open and bright but then I was worried about getting in trouble having had it 4 or 5 days. So it got moved to an enclosure in the garage and feed all it wanted.
a few months went by and I was cleaning the enclosure and he started flying. so I knew he was healed and I really put the food out for him to get him heavy. The weather broke and I left the door open for him. he hung around the house 5 years called in a mate and had chick's in a hole in a tree out back each season. my daughter was young and would take a turkey locator owl hooter out back and they would talk back and forth.

None were ever pets none would have lived had we not helped them out and never had any intention of keeping them. Now if I had permission from the state I would get looked at as a wildlife hero. But because I don't I'm an outlaw. Especially with the bird a over a decade ago. I get a large amount of people have no business messing with wild life with the Bambi mentality yet...

I never penned him up. He did sleep in the house... is that what you're considering penned up?? I'd let him out whenever he wanted. He didn't go anywhere. He'd usually be curled up on the porch waiting to come in when I'd go to let him back in.

Just open the cage/pen and let it go.

I'll check back later to ensure it's freedom.

That was my unofficial policy when dealing with these situations.

Worked on most squirrels, coons, possums, etc.

Human-raised buck deer...it did not work. 911 call, ride to ER, stitches, needed when buck returned and ground grandma into the dirt on a cool, crisp November morning as she was walking to the mailbox.

But, that's what "pets" do sometimes.

YT30,
Not sure about another state. Here in Georgia, inside your house is penned up.

Lol, good banter on a Sunday.

PR,
I have encountered dozens of situations as you describe above. Thanked them for what they did/were doing and left...never to return.

Others transported the critter (or I did) to a licensed wildlife rehabber. They were never considered pets or owned.

Good job!

I don't write the laws. If you want to write them then run for office.

BTW, I have a good working relationship with the biggest rehab organization in Atlanta. We agree to to disagree on much of what I do but are in whole hearted agreement that wildlife is best off left in the wild. They are constantly preaching keep hands off the critters unless actually injured and DO NOT HABITUATE THEM.

This may be the end of the world. A squirrel being held captive!
The song "Eve Of Destruction" comes to mind.
Will someone play it please? I'll remove my stocking cap

SLM! BURN IT DOWN!!

It will be mostly peaceful.

Well that's no surprise to me. People love to feel special and like they are part of an exclusive group. Of course they're the only ones qualified and they are the ones that know what's best.

Your I don't Wright the laws sounds like the cops I'm just doing my job.

No, I just don't operate off feelings and feel good emotion.

Shouldn't need laws to stop folks from being stupid but here we are.

There's this place in Omaha they call a "zoo". They cage up all kinds of wild aminals and make ppl pay to look at them.
Why is that okay?

If one officer had knocked on their door and spoken to them about a minor violation and ways to fix it this would never have been in the news.

The out of proportion response of a big team of officers with a search warrant, seizing and euthanizing the squirrel is the problem. P nut is just a metaphor for the government persecuting law abiding citizens over minor stuff while real criminals are looting, robbing, raping burning down our cities with no consequences.

Peoples emotions are high and this election matters.

That's called an exhibitors license. And each non native requires it's own permit.

Now that I can get on board with. We got law enforcement running around acting just like the "kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies" complaint our founders made against King George.

The green suited ones of my acquaintance for the most part would've handled that with a knock and discussion before even considering the need for a warrant much less the SWAT raid.

We need to seriously curtail the ability of the state's use of force in evidence gathering. Warrants should not be rubber stamp judges but weighed very carefully against the Bill of Rights with the default erring on the side of the accused.

First Harambe, now Peanut

If all them NY game wardens would've been out checking trapper's licenses and related requirements Ol'Peanut might still be alive today.

Poor Ol'Peanut....rest his Sciurus soul.

The devolution of the human species has gone full retard, led by " law enforcement professionals ".

Let's bow our head for peanut the squirrel.

Agree if he wanted to do it keep it off the internet

two great spot on comments.

Looks to me like the NY DEC had to have their Ruby Ridge Or Waco.

If you’re defending the actions that they made in regards to the seizing and euthanizing the animals, it’s my opinion that you lack the common sense to understand that there are occasions when the letter of the law need not be followed.

This thread is proof, that law enforcement will do what ever their political masters tell them. We will all end up like peanut the squirrel if gun confiscating politicians get their way.

DEC told their employees at the main office they could go home if they did not feel safe. The office received threats from peanut lovers!

More coming out on the dude involved. Only Fans.

Some sort of online link between his OF and the so called "rescue".

The people making threats are nothing to worry about they are all bluster. It's the quiet ones they don't hear from they should be worried about. Since it's just a squirrel I'm assuming bleeding hearts and libs so nothing to worry about.

What is to be mad and concerned about is not the death of the squirrel but the example of Goverment action and its to bad Waco and the Weavers didn't have a social media following. The public is more up set about a darn squirrel. Peanut is just an example of what can happen to all of us His own owner is the dummy that put the squirrel all over social media. Had he not been doing that the squirrel would have died with him of old age. I'm glad he did though maybe it will wake just a few more people up to the threats.

The 2nd is the only think keeping them back.

That's NYSDEC's new agenda under Horsed Faced Hochul, Guess they couldn't find a wildlife rehabber.

Yet hunt clubs can raise pheasants to turn loose for their club members to shoot.
What about deer farms?
People who raise buffalo ?"
Seems as though as long as the government gets a cut, it's OK?
What about wild game farms ?
You go to most deer farms and the deer are like pets , they have no fear of humans .
TOO MUCH GOVERNMENT OVER REACH!

Who is the government?

The permanent bureaucracy that answers to no one, and cannot be fired.

Name one state that doesn't appoint their state head of wildlife.
That's the government.

Back when I was a kid, we had pet squirrels , ground hogs, coon, pigeons , skunks, rabbits, crow, and just about everything that we caught as kids.
Used to be able to keep fox in cages for their urine, during trapping season.
Same as we could trap problem animals for people in exchange for trapping rights.
Some do-gooders got that changed so they could take over trapping nuisance animals , for big money.
Not a bad idea, with the current prices of fur. But it's just more government control, as now you have to take another test, then buy a special license to trap peoples problem animals.
You can do it for free , but don't you dare ask for trapping permission in return.
Same with an early muzzle loader season in Ohio , two days in October , on a weekend .
Bow hunters complained that the hunters were messing up their hunts for big bucks.
Strange it was for doe only.
Trouble is people can't just leave things alone, they have to have their way .
Look at what the hound hunters did in Michigan, stopping bobcat trapping , with the help of HSUS.
Too many people think they're more important than the other millions of people.
One woman , that's right, one woman got prayer taken out of schools .
Much like what's going on today , with gay rights.
All it takes is someone in government to side with them, and then money buys the votes to get it passed.

BINGO!

For the common good, of course.

The thing that truly disgusts me isn't the killing of a squirrel and raccoon. Nor the obvious jack booted thuggery of law enforcement.
The absolute disgusting part is the hue and cry over a couple animals while our country is on a greased track to perdition.

IT'S A FRIGGEN SQUIRREL AND A COON. WHO CARES!

The world looks the other way when 350,000 children go missing, when druggies line the streets, perverts in our schools, political prosecution is the purpose of the courts.

Yet let one cute animal die and everyone loses their mind.

And the nitwits on this site of all sites should know better. Go ahead and join the antis, sell your traps and guns for scrap. Because animals have "rights" don't you know.

All talk tough guys but fold at the drop of a squirrel.

The demonrats tried to kill Trump but found they c couldn't so they take out peanut.