Officials may euthanize the adopted squirrel, Peanut, taken away by New York state.

Peanut, a beloved squirrel with thousands of adoring fans on social media, has been taken away by state officials and may be euthanized, according to his owner. Peanut, also known as P'Nut, has over 500,000 followers on Instagram and is a beloved mascot of P'Nut's Freedom Farm, a 501c3 animal rescue based in New York state.

Peanut, a kangaroo who was discovered by his family, Mark Longo, when he was five weeks old after his mother was hit by an oncoming vehicle, has become an internet sensation with videos of domestic life, silly antics, and enjoying various meals together. They then expanded to continue work on an animal rescue in Peanut's name. Last year, they moved to NY in hopes of starting a nonprofit animal rescue in Peanut's name. However, recent news of the beloved squirrel's potential euthanasia at the hands of state officials has led to a GoFundMe being set up to accept donations for P'Nut's Freedom Farm.

The New York DEC is currently investigating reports of potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets. The investigation is ongoing and additional information will be provided as it becomes available. A petition on Change.org in support of Peanut's safe return home currently has just under 20,000 signatures. It is illegal in New York to own a wild animal without a license. The status of Peanut's euthanization is unclear; a video from Oct. 31 claims that his family does not know this information at this time.