The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seized Peanut from his New York family, supposedly based on the repetitive complaints from Monica Keasler. However, such a move has become costly for Keasler due to excessive hate comments towards her and her family.
A Texas native, Monica Keasler is a passionate photographer and wellness advocate with years of experience behind her. According to her website’s bio, Keasler travels the world to capture moments highlighting power and purpose.
Further, Keasler is the mother of two children, both boys, who have inspired her in different walks of life. Through her profession, the photographer wants to inspire others to embrace change and live with intention.
Despite her purpose, she has become one of the most criticized internet personalities at the moment.
Her actions have led to a series of hateful comments against her and her family members. Keasler has made her social media private, making it difficult to ascertain other information.
Meet Monica Keasler of Monica Keasler Photography. She is the pos that made the report that led to the death of peanut the squirrel. She’s now deleted her Linkdin profile and her Facebook profile. Make her famous, don’t do business with her. pic.twitter.com/7WgDnxVZCy
— SonnyBoy🇺🇸 (@gotrice2024) November 3, 2024
Soon, speculations arose that Keasler reported an internet-famous pet squirrel, Peanut, owned by Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela. The couple posted about Peanut, often seen nibbling on treats like waffles, nuts, and crackers.
Additionally, the pet had over 700k followers on Instagram, and a nonprofit organization dedicated to its name, P’Nuts Freedom Animal Sanctuary, which cared for wounded or violated wild and domestic animals.
Before Keasler made her accounts private, she posted, “It was my right to report Peanut to authorities as it is a wild animal and not a pet. Stop with the hate!” Moreover, Monica Keasler’s fake accounts have been created to farm likes and engagement online.
Rumors suggest Monica Keasler went out of her way to report the pet to the New York authorities!
According to Peanut’s owner, the pet was rescued seven years ago after its mother passed away in a road accident in New York City. Longo took it home to care for it since the animal wasn’t suited to be left in the wild.
However, DEC arrived at their apartment along with six officers and took away Peanut and their fellow pet, Fred the Raccoon, after an anonymous complaint. Authorities said they took this step to prevent residents from keeping wild animals as pets.
U.S. animal law allows only licensed residents to keep pets in their homes and requires owners to register animals once they are 4 months old. The license program ensures that the pets receive adequate housing and other needs.
Similarly, the DEC added that the step was necessary to ensure public protection as squirrels and raccoons often carry the rabies virus. Authorities immediately put down the animals as Peanut allegedly bit one of the investigators.
Such case details enraged fans online who had been following Peanut for years. The incident received widespread news coverage and reaction from political figures, including former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Moreover, the #Justice4Peanut initiative has become popular on Instagram and TikTok, where people have urged the officials to take action against Keasler and the parties who put down Peanut.
Meanwhile, others who share the same name as the alleged Keasler have received hateful comments from followers. One user wrote, “It’s not me. I had nothing to do with the squirrel. Didn’t know anything about Peanut the Squirrel until Sunday morning.“
Additional Information
- The nonprofit organization created a GoFundMe page in honor of Peanut and Fred to raise $250k. So far, the initiative has received over 4.5k donations amounting to over $191,720, which will help rescue animals.
- Peanut’s owner has blamed the New York authorities for taking action without confirming that the pet had rabies. Longo mentioned that the DEC team invaded their home with ill intent from the begining.
