HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) — Since the news about Peanut the Squirrel's euthanization, Tony Cavallaro has been reliving memories from the day the DEC seized his pet Albert the alligator.
"It's awful, it sounds exactly like what they did to me," said Cavallaro. "All of a sudden they're coming after all of us. All these innocent people. None of us were causing anybody any harm."
- New York State DEC Officers seized Peanut (also spelled P'NUT) and Fred the raccoon from a home in Pine City, NY
- The DEC cites multiple reports from the public about potentially unsafe housing of wildlife and says during the investigation, someone was bitten by the squirrel
- The squirrel and raccoon were then euthanized by the DEC
You can watch a previous report on Peanut the squirrel below and read more here.
"It rips my heart out, I'm really sorry they had to go through what they had to go through and then they went and did what they did to these poor, innocent animals," said Cavallaro.
DEC Facing Backlash
Employees were told they could work from home Monday and Tuesday, as eight DEC offices have received bomb threats, according to the Albany Times Union.
This includes the Buffalo office on Delaware Avenue. Buffalo Police gave the all-clear shortly after K9 teams conducted a thorough search.
I reached out to the DEC for comment on this and have not heard back.
Peanut's Law
In response to Peanut's euthanization, a lawmaker downstate sent a letter to Governor Kathy Hochul calling for a full investigation and introduced legislation to ensure this does not happen again.
"We must protect every animal and animal sanctuary like P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary," said Assemblyman Jake Blumencranz.
There is a GoFundMe Page in honor of Peanut and Fred, where organizers condemn any threats against the DEC.
Meantime, Albert the alligator remains in Texas and Cavallaro has an ongoing lawsuit against the DEC.
You can read more about Albert the alligator here and the lawsuit here.
