A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star called Peanut is pleading with state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized it during a raid that also yielded a raccoon named Fred. Multiple anonymous complaints about ...

Peanut the Squirrel was taken from his Elmira, NY, home Wednesday by officials from the Department of Environmental Conservation, who served a warrant to Peanut’s guardians after receiving complaints of “unlawfully possessed” animals, according to the post.

A squirrel that became famous on social media has been seized in a raid, with the animal's owner afraid New York authorities will euthanise him.