Animals

Peanut The Squirrel should be alive right now, because it's improbable the fully domesticated animal had rabies ... so says an infectious disease expert.

NY state officials killed the internet sensation last week in order to test Peanut for rabies, but a doctor well versed in rabies says authorities might have jumped the gun in impulsively testing for the disease.

Dr. Edward R. Rensimer tells TMZ ... the CDC's position is that squirrels are not considered to be carriers or spreaders of rabies and to his knowledge, there's never been a recorded case of squirrel-to-human rabies transmission.

Peanut the Squirrel's story hit hard for one New York State Assemblyman, who's now pushing for a law to stop future animal heartbreaks like the one that befell the social media star -- and he says a request for an investigation is falling on deaf ears.

Jake Blumencranz, repping Assembly District 15 on Long Island, has drafted "Peanut's Law: The Humane Animal Protection Act," which would impose a 72-hour wait before euthanizing any sanctuary animal. He tells TMZ the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Governor Kathy Hochul have been radio silent about an investigation into the matter so far.

Blumencranz, a big-time animal advocate, says all he's heard from authorities is that DEC officials were just following the rules when they seized Peanut from P'nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary. And, that's exactly why he's pushing for change -- because current protocols feel way too extreme and lack compassion for the animals involved.

Peanut the Squirrel's supporters are making it clear they're pissed NY State officials confiscated and euthanized the animal ... by coordinating multiple bomb threats on state government offices.

The Department of Environmental Conservation is one of 2 agencies that conducted last week's raid at Mark Longo's home in upstate NY's Chemung County -- but DEC offices all over the state have now been evacuated due to the bomb threats.

Sources with the NYPD tell TMZ ... there was a bomb threat claiming an explosive device was planted inside a DEC office in Long Island City ... and, cops believe the threat is related to the Peanut the Squirrel case.

Peanut the squirrel’s heartbreaking story has tugged at the heartstrings of thousands nationwide after the rodent was seized and euthanized by authorities last week -- but a notable NYC Assemblywoman tells us despite it being a sad situation, human lives need to be prioritized.

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, the Majority Whip in the New York State Assembly, tells TMZ that while she’s an ardent animal-rights advocate and sympathizes with Peanut’s owner, Mark Longo ... she believes euthanizing Peanut was the only option, since the N.Y. State Dept. of Environmental Conservation's investigation revealed the squirrel bit someone.

Hermelyn explains to us DEC had no choice but to put down Peanut so they could test the rodent for rabies, which is deadly for 99% of humans who catch it. She also notes it's well-known there are no approved methods to test animals for rabies while they're still alive.

The agencies that raided a New York farm and seized Peanut the squirrel were actually there because some officials had a problem with porn ... that's what some sources connected to the drama believe.

As we reported, the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation and the Chemung County Health Dept. got a search warrant and showed up at Mark Longo's farm last week, seizing Peanut and Fred the racoon under the pretext Longo broke the law by harboring 2 undomesticated animals.

But, here's the deal ... Mark tells TMZ when officials showed up they asked questions that had nothing to do with the animals. Mark says one of the first questions -- "Do you have any cameras in your house?"

A New York congressman says he and his fellow delegates want answers from the governor about Peanut the Squirrel's tragic death ... calling the raid total government overreach.

Republican Congressman Nick Langworthy -- who represents NY's 23rd district -- tells us he and other members of New York's congressional delegation plan to demand answers from the governor's office and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation early next week.

We're told they plan to ask questions about why the raid was authorized and what exactly was the reason the gov. sought a warrant for this home.

The owners of Peanut the squirrel are still in an emotional whirlwind after their beloved social media star was seized and euthanized by authorities in New York ... and now they're readying to fight back, TMZ is told.

Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, tell us they are already in the process of legal action ... but they cannot give too many more details at this point. But ML makes it crystal clear ... "Peanut did not die in vain!"

Their story went national after they accused the state of abusing power and wasting taxpayer funds to seize and kill Peanut -- all because of some anonymous claims ... which ML says were all total BS.

Social media flew into a frenzy Saturday morning when an apparent press release from Donald Trump’s campaign called for justice for Peanut the squirrel … but it was all a hoax, TMZ has learned.

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung tells us a statement that spread on X like wildfire was not real … Trump had not addressed the confiscated and euthanized squirrel controversy.

In the fake release, Trump was quoted as saying in part … “If Peanut could have told them he was from Mexico, they would have sent him on his way and given him a hotel room and a $500 gift card to Buddy Squirrel. Instead, he was taken from his family. Very sad, and a complete waste of resources!”

The owners of a pet squirrel with a massive social media following are going nuclear on government officials in New York ... accusing the state of abusing power and wasting taxpayer funds to seize and kill Peanut, all because of some anonymous claims.

Mark Longo and his wife, Daniela, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and shared their outrage over what they say has been a grave injustice ... and it got emotional.

Mark tells us officials from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation showed up at his doorstep Wednesday with a search warrant signed by 4 state agencies and a judge ... treating him like a criminal while they raided his home in search of Peanut.

Don’t expect to see Ian Somerhalder onscreen again any time soon -- he's put acting on the back burner for now, with no plans to jump back in.

At the Environmental Media Association Awards Gala, Ian came clean about soaking up every inch of his laid-back farm life with actress wife Nikki Reed and their 2 young kids -- so much so, that he believes his entertainment career is officially "in the rearview mirror."

Ian did pause a bit on those thoughts, though -- he mentioned to PEOPLE he recently regained the rights to "V Wars," the 2019 sci-fi series he and Nikki starred in together ... but he's not quite sure how they'd bring it back to life in the form of another show.

Forget a bull in a china shop ... ya gotta see this video of a boar in a store in China ... going on an epic rampage and leaving a trail of destruction!!!

Wild footage out of Zhejiang province shows a wild pig roaming the streets and barging into a children's clothing store ... destroying everything in its sight.

The hog went wild inside the store Friday morning, smashing through clothing racks and tearing up merchandise before continuing the ruckus outside ... charging at bystanders who had gathered to watch.

Crumbs, the world’s fattest cat, has sadly died just weeks after shedding some pounds at feline fat camp, with vets saying his excessively chunky layers hid cancerous tumors.

The Russian kitty -- who ballooned to a whopping 38 pounds from living in a hospital basement and munching on cookies and soup from the staff -- suddenly had breathing issues and passed away Saturday, according to NewsX.

Galiana More, who runs the Matroskin cat shelter where Crumbs was treated, explained his fat was so deep it hid cancerous tumors on his spleen and other internal organs, which they believed triggered multiple organs to collapse.

If some pooches are looking a little blue in Los Angeles this week, don't be alarmed -- Dodgers fans are just coloring their dogs in the hopes it brings their team some good luck in the upcoming World Series.

Reporters over at NBCLA hit up a bunch of groomers in Southern California this week ... and found out Angelinos are flocking to shops to dye their pups' coats in an effort to support the boys in blue as they gear up to take on the Yankees.

All over Los Angeles County, paws, ears, and tails are getting dipped in Dodger blue ... but, don't worry, the groomers insist it's all "non-toxic" and "perfectly safe" for their fur babies.

11:39 AM PT -- Spirit Airlines tells TMZ ... "We are aware of the video and are taking steps to address this matter."

Someone might want to release snakes on this Spirit Airlines flight ... 'cause they might catch the rat scurrying around the jet and freaking out passengers!

Check out this clip taken on a Spirit flight from Dallas to Los Angeles, which appears to show a rat running above an overhead bin during the approximately 3-hour flight.

The rat's feet can be seen through the opaque glass with light illuminating its snout ... lording over the airplane populace while a group of people film it.

A group of numbskulls in India apparently lured a leopard over to them for some snaps, and instantly regretted it ... 'cause the big cat looked like it was auditioning for "When Animals Attack."

Here's the rundown ... several people in central India's state of Madhya Pradesh fired up their smartphones when they noticed a leopard in the nearby woods ... and some in the group called the wild animal to come closer, per the Indian Express.

Ya can't say SeaWorld's orcas don't give a s*** ... 'cause they gave plenty during one of the park's famous shows -- creating a super cringe moment for the internet, and a literally sickening one for unlucky park goers in the front row.

Here's the scoop on the poop ... Saturday at SeaWorld San Antonio, one of the orcas, AKA killer whales, was diving when it very noticeably dropped a deuce near the surface and -- this is important -- RIGHT on the edge of the tank.

It might not have been a big deal, except the massive whale swam back around to flip it's tail and splash a wave of brown water onto the crowd down in front.

Normally, SeaWorld's faithful love getting soaked by the orcas and dolphins as they perform tricks ... but, this was a painfully different situation.

As one guest in the splash zone put it, “We expected to get wet sitting so close, but not like that. It smelled awful, and people were gagging.”

Not shockingly, video of the filthy encounter has gone viral, and SeaWorld is in cleanup mode -- saying the visitors who got crapped on were taken to a decontamination area where they got soap, bottled water and towels. As for clean clothes ... they could buy some in the gift store. Generous!

Officially, SeaWorld says, "We regret this unfortunate event and are taking every step to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests. Our team followed established protocols to minimize health risks and will review our procedures to prevent this from happening again."