Peanut, who has amassed more than half a million Instagram followers, was euthanized by officials to be tested for rabies.

Peanut, the Instagram-famous squirrel that was seized from its owner’s home Wednesday, has been euthanized by New York state officials.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation took Peanut, as well as a raccoon named Fred, on Wednesday after the agency learned the animals were “sharing a residence with humans, creating the potential for human exposure to rabies," it said in a joint statement with the Chemung County Department of Health.

Both Peanut and Fred were euthanized to test for rabies, the statement said. It was unclear when the animals were euthanized.

  • @joel_feila
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    12 months ago

    Considering that most mammals can carry rabbies ending the disease is impossible.

    • @InverseParallax
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      12 months ago

      They basically ended it in Europe and Australia.

      Also, incidence has plummeted incredibly over the past century, though we had an uptick a decade ago.

      We could effectively eliminate it, but the greatest generation cared about that, they feared it rightfully, we don’t anymore.

      The reason it’s coming back is just complacency.