PNut the Squirrels caretaker fears animal was decapitated by DEC as he plans funeral and lawsuit

An Upstate New York man fears his pet squirrel was decapitated after state agents seized the rodent from his home – as a funeral is set for the internet-famous creature.P’Nut’s grieving owner Mark Longo told The Post he’s planning a lawsuit againt the state Department of Environmental Conservation after they raided his home, took the squirrel away and euthanized it to test for rabies.“I’m hoping to give him a proper burial,” Longo told The Post of P’Nut’s last rites, which will be held through a fully functioning human funeral home that offered its space free of charge.

“But seven days later the body hasn’t been returned.No results of rabies tests have been given.”The DEC claimed it was forced to perform rabies tests on P’Nut and Longo’s pet racoon named Fred — and those tests require a sample from the subject’s brain.It’s a prospect Longo shudders to think about, and one he’s ready to sue over.“This is much bigger than a squirrel and a raccoon.

This is about government overreach,” he said.“We want justice for what transpired at my home.

You violated my home.You assassinated my animals.”P’Nut — a squirrel with a penchant for proportional cowboy hats — was raised by Longo and his wife in their home for seven years since they rescued him as an orphaned pup.

After rehabilitating the helpless animal for eight months they released him — but he refused to leave, so they took him into their home full time, according to the couple.In those years the squirrel amassed a following on social media, and inspired the Longos to relocate from Connecticut and open a 350-acre animal sanctuary upstate in Pine City.But in October that all came crashing down when the DEC showed up in response to an anonymous complaint about the Longos housing P’Nut and Fred in their home, and after tearing the house apart left with the animals.P’Nut supposedly bit one of the agents on the hand during the operation, prompting the DEC to euthani...