Former owner of ‘Peanut,’ the squirrel decapitated by NY officials, detained by ICE, and now their whole animal sanctuary may be at risk
Her husband says the only way to save the sanctuary is to stop her deportation
The owner of Peanut, the squirrel who was euthanized by New York wildlife officials, has been detained by ICE. Two years after the viral story of Peanut, which Republicans at the time used as an example of government overreach, the squirrel’s owner is now facing the possibility of deportation back to Germany, something her husband says puts their animal sanctuary at risk.
Daniela Bittner was detained by immigration officers at an airport in New York in October, according to NBC News. She has since been placed in an immigration facility and is awaiting possible deportation to Germany.
Bittner initially went viral with videos of herself and her pet squirrel, Peanut. However, in November 2024, New York Wildlife Officials responded to anonymous complaints and took the squirrel and a raccoon called Fred. During the seizure, one of the people involved in the investigation was bitten by Peanut, prompting fear of rabies.
The squirrel was subsequently euthanized and, according to the IBTimes, was decapitated to obtain samples for rabies testing. The death of Peanut sparked public outrage at the time, with Republicans such as JD Vance criticizing the Democratic government. “The same government that doesn’t care about hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant criminals coming into our country doesn’t want us to have pets,” he wrote just before the 2024 election.
Daniela Bittner is facing deportation
Now Peanut’s owner, Bittner, has been placed in an immigration jail. The Department of Homeland Security said that she “chose to overstay her welcome in defiance of our nation’s laws.” Bittner’s husband, Mark Longo, criticized the current government, which he accused of politicizing Peanut’s death. “They put Peanut on a pedestal, won their election and threw him off that pedestal immediately,” he told the Associated Press.
He also said that he will have to shut down the animal sanctuary that he and Bittner run together if she is deported. “The only outcome that will save this place is my wife not being deported,” he said.
“I’m begging the world to find an answer as to why this keeps happening to me,” he added over the phone. “One time, you can call it what it is. Two times, it’s now becoming a little bit more of a target.”
Bittner has since been moved through multiple immigration jails and is currently housed in a facility in Texas. Longo claimed that his wife was being kept in “deplorable” conditions. He also said that her detention was due to a paperwork mix-up, claiming that his wife had made a mistake on an immigration form and had missed the mistake during the ordeal with Peanut.
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