The state is investigating how its agents botched the hours-long raid on an upstate New York home that resulted in the tragic death of internet-famous squirrel P’Nut — and The Post has identified the lead investigator behind the bushy-whacking.
The Department of Environmental Conservation said it is conducting a “internal investigation” into the widely criticized seizure of P’Nut and Fred the raccoon from Mark Longo’s Pine City home.
Both animals were euthanized — and most likely decapitated — because the state claimed to have tested them for rabies after P’Nut bit one of the agents during the raid. Longo, unconvinced, claimed the officers wore heavy protective gloves.
“An internal investigation into the matter is ongoing, and we are reviewing internal policies and procedures to ensure we continue serving this core mission,” a DEC spokesperson told The Post on Friday.
Despite the fact that the viral disease poses a deadly public health risk, Gov. Hochul’s office, the DEC, the state Health Department, and the Chemung County Health Department have refused to share the results of any animal testing or the status of the allegedly wounded official.
According to the CDC, rabies test results are typically available within 24 to 72 hours of the animal being euthanized and the sample arriving at the lab. Specimens sent to the state DOH’s Wadsworth Center typically produce results the following workday.
The center, which is supposed to publish monthly rabies reports, hasn’t done so since June and has declined to say whether it has received any specimens from Chemung County in recent weeks.
Hochul promised early on that transparency would be “the hallmark” of her administration. Her office has yet to respond to several inquiries from The Post.
“You claimed rabies. . . but you haven’t made a public comment on it?” A broken heart Longo, 34, spoke to The Post about the state’s reticence. “As a taxpayer, is my life and what you caused me not good enough to respond?”
A DEC spokesperson told The Post to file a Freedom of Information Law request in response to multiple requests for the rabies test results, which it did, while a dispatcher directed a reporter to a hotline set up for P’Nut callers to leave messages.
“They’re realizing in hindsight, this got out of hand, and they did not handle it well,” state Sen. Dan Stec (R-Warren) said of the state’s response.
“I can’t think of a legitimate or legal reason to conceal the rabies test results. It’s a matter of public health,” he said. “Where’s the state secret here? “Whose interests are they protecting?”
On October 30, about ten DEC agents descended on Longo’s 350-acre property, where he runs an animal sanctuary with his wife and cares for Fred and P’Nut at home.
The couple rescued the squirrel seven years ago after its mother was killed by a car and raised it as a house pet. Fred was rescued only a few months ago.
DEC Investigator Joshua Crain carried out the search warrant after receiving approval from Chemung County Judge Richard W. Rich Jr. the day before, according to court documents.
The warrant mentioned Crain’s suspicions that the couple was illegally housing a gray squirrel and a raccoon, but made no mention of rabies or any other immediate dangers.
Crain was named Wildlife Officer of the Year by a conservation group in 2022, and the DEC praised a work philosophy that, ironically, “promotes education first and enforcement when needed.”
“What happened in my house, if you think that was an educational [action] — I don’t know,” said Longo, who intends to sue the DEC.
Crain and Rich did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Chemung County Executive Chris Moss declined to comment.
P’Nut’s death has angered critics across the country, who point to the raid as a stark example of government overreach and misplaced priorities.
The official Donald Trump campaign TikTok account stated that P’Nut was “needlessly murdered by Democrat bureaucrats in New York.” Longo, who believes P’Nut’s plight may have helped Trump win the election, hopes the president-elect will pay a visit to his sanctuary.
Outrage over the squirrel’s death sparked at least 14 bomb threats against DEC offices across the state, none of which were found credible, according to State Police spokesman Beau Duffy.
DEC employees are even avoiding public view by covering the agency’s name inside its Elmira headquarters.
“It’s just precautionary,” one employee explained, attempting to distance his office from the ongoing bureaucratic saga.
“I’m not in wildlife,” he said when asked where the animal carcasses were. “These are all environmental programs here.”
The Police Benevolent Association of New York State, which represents DEC’s law enforcement agents, urged calm on Friday, noting that “misinformation” shared online had resulted in violent threats against the agency’s staff and a judge.
The DEC’s investigation into Longo began in January, when the agency received complaints that Longo was unlawfully housing a squirrel, according to the union. Officials warned him, and Longo claimed to have released P’Nut into the wild.
The subsequent raid last week occurred after the agency received additional complaints, prompting a review of Longo’s social media posts, which revealed he had lied and continued to house P’Nut while also taking in a raccoon, according to the organization.
“We ask that the public keep in mind that [DEC officers] are their friends, family, and neighbors and do not deserve to live in fear for upholding the law,” a union spokesperson stated.
