Remember Peanut the Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon that were seized and killed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) late last year?
Peanut and Fred were beloved pets, and internet sensations, of Mark Longo of Pine City, NY. Videos of Peanut in tiny costumes doing tricks went viral on the internet creating a huge following.
In what was a tragic example of government overreach, DEC conducted a raid in November 2024 on Longo’s house confiscating his pets, Peanut the Squirrel and Fred the Raccoon. DEC then killed Peanut and Fred.
At the time, DEC's acting commissioner admitted the situation could have been handled better. Longo filed suit in the spring of this year and DEC announced it would be reviewing its policies with regard to wild animal seizures. The plight of Albert the Alligator from western New York is also wrapped up in the review. Albert’s story went national as he was seized and shipped to Florida. A lawsuit is also pending in that case.
South Shore Press (SSP) reached out to DEC to find out about the progress of the internal review and if any changes would be forth coming to prevent or reduce incidents like those of Peanut, Fred, and Albert.
DEC told SSP that they undertook an internal investigation of agency wildlife enforcement procedures.
“At the direction of the Governor, Commissioner Left on prioritized a review of DEC’s current wildlife protection and enforcement process to protect New Yorkers and the agency from similar incidents in the future. DEC carefully reviewed all the public feedback and we understand the distress caused to communities throughout the state,” said DEC. “Our agency is committed to developing additional protocols to address illegally possessed wildlife and ensuring that our staff and environmental conservation officers have the necessary resources to carry them out.”
According to DEC, to better prepare the agency for addressing certain violations that have broad impacts, enhance wildlife licensing, and improve public communication and staff protection, DEC is implementing the following process improvements:
- Institute a stepwise approach for animal seizures and ensure appropriate coordination;
- Develop and institute a policy to implement the use of body cameras for DEC Police Officers;
- Coordinate with health officials to update protocols for enforcement matters involving wildlife and address rabies testing guidelines; and
- Modernize the system that issues wildlife rehabilitator and other related wildlife licenses to enhance customer service.