Peanut the squirrel, a pet that became a social media star, has been euthanized after New York state authorities seized it during a raid.

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.

Two days after he was seized from his home in New York, Peanut the Squirrel has been euthanized. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Chemung County Department of Health announced through a statement on Friday afternoon that both a squirrel and raccoon were confiscated from a residence on Wednesday had been euthanized to test for rabies.